The company which, five years ago, had just four hotels will end this year with 22 four- and five-star properties, most of them company-owned, in 10 countries in Europe and Africa.
The five-star Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal in Budapest, Hungary, has opened after a two-year reconstruction costing £44.8m. The French Renaissance-style building, built in 1896 and bought by Corinthia in 1997, had been empty for the previous 10 years. During its chequered history, it has served as a cinema, an office and even a Second World War Gestapo headquarters, as well as a hotel.
It now boasts 415 bedrooms, boutique and designer shops, a spa, a conference and exhibition centre to accommodate 1,200 delegates, and a Grand Ballroom.
The five-star Corinthia Tripoli Towers hotel in Libya is expected to open before the end of the year. The £64m new-build offers 299 bedrooms, a conference and banqueting centre for as many as 550 people, a spa and a shopping gallery.
The company, founded in 1962 by the Pisani family, is also eyeing properties in emerging markets such as Croatia and China.
