Four Seasons Gresham Palace of Budapest: Art Nouveau gem where a drink in the bar calls

As you walk into the Gresham Palace, now a Four Seasons Hotel, take a moment to pause and draw in the entirety of the T-shaped entrance and lobby with its incredible Art Nouveau style and detail — a style evident everywhere in the hotel, from lobby to bathroom.

Art Nouveau was a dominant architectural style from 1890-1910, surrounds you with beauty, from floor to walls to ceiling — it is pervasive in that it style touches everything and gives it a modern grandeur that is unforgettable.

As you walk through the glass-ceiling enclosed lobby, a sense of time long forgotten greets you. Your first impression is shaped by the massive Fairy tale book by the entrance.

As you check in, be sure to ask for a room higher up and facing the river. The main street in front can be quite noisy, but the windows are doubled and any floor would be quiet enough; it is the view you want…the bridge crossing the Danube leading directly to the funicular that takes you up the hill to the historic district, and the giant Royal Palace, now a museum. To the right, also across river, sits high the cathedral, Matthias Church, originally built in 1015 ad. The front makes for great views, and the location is a ten-minute walk across the river.

The rooms have what might be 16 foot ceilings, the right amount of furniture and a bathroom that is stunning. Yes, bathrooms can be stunning. After long days of touring around, the gift of soft pillows and a enveloping bed that just folds you in is exactly what you want and receive. (Photos of the room and the architectural carvings outside our window are at the end of this post).

Being a Four Seasons, one doesn’t question the presence of luxury, but as with such high-end hotels, it has to be executed through the details of place, people, service, that make the hotel great versus just expensive, or one living off it’s brand halo. The Gresham Palace was full of a quiet energy.

When you look at a tour book of Budapest, the Gresham Palace is listed as one of the great buildings to visit. This is true whether you stay there or not. Perhaps the best way to sample its aura is to go and sit in the lounge, next to the small bar and test their highly-talented mixologist — they were some of the best drinks we had ever seen. We tried the 1920’s “Bees’-Knees”, gin, rosewater, honey…delicious. Made so sweet because back in the 1920’s gin was actually made in bathtubs and tasted terrible.

This 4 Seasons brand is enhanced by the opulence of the design, but is delivered in the class and poise of the staff. At every turn, we found someone who was generous, helpful, but not phony or pretentious about it. We always make a point to try and ‘connect’ with the staff — whether waiter, bartender, concierge, front desk, bellman, because they are the lifeblood of a great hotel.

Having been fortunate enough to stay in many 5-star hotels, the Four Seasons should take great pride in this specific property. Whether it was eating at the hotel restaurant, Kollazs Brasserie, to sitting having a Prohibition-era drink in the piano lounge, to the enveloping comfort of the rooms and bed, every detail was presented with a sense of welcome and ease — never a tense moment.

Actually, there was one. Our last night, we were directed to eat at a well-known foie gras restaurant nearby called Tigris (or “Tiger” in Hungarian). Before leaving for dinner, we had enjoyed the piano lounge and bar, relaxed under the vaulted glass ceiling…in fact, relaxed too much! We got to the restaurant, ten minutes away, and I realized I had left my new smartphone on the table with the bill. I panicked!

Jumping up, as the appetizers arrived, I nearly ran down the block — only to pull to a halt as a tall gentleman wearing the doorman’s buttoned coat, met me with a smile and an outstretched hand holding my phone. Exhaling, i thanked him profusely. We parted.

As I sat back down for dinner, I realized that in the time since we had left the bar and phone, somehow they had found the phone, identified it was a guest, found our dinner reservation and went to return my phone. All in 15 minutes.

Now that is service. A brand is about the individuals who live it, they don’t just come to work.

Can we come back here soon?