Ambasador Hotel Explained

Hotel Name:Ambasador Hotel
Хотел Амбасадор
Address:King Milan's Square
Opening Date:1968
2017–2019
Owner:My Place Group
Number Of Rooms:70
Number Of Suites:12
Floors:17
Height:52.3m
Parking:Yes

Ambasador Hotel is a landmark hotel in the center of Niš, Serbia. It is the only 5-star hotel in the city.

First opened in 1968, Ambasador Hotel was the tallest building in Niš until the construction of the TV5 high-rise in 1973. Prominently located on the city center Kralj Milan (King Milan) Square, next to the Monument to the Liberators of Niš, and near the Nišava river and the Ottoman-era Niš Fortress, the hotel is considered by locals to be a "symbol of the City of Niš".

History

The first hotel in Niš, the Hotel Orijent, was constructed on the site where the Ambasador Hotel stands today and opened in 1899.In 1960, the city demolished the Hotel Orijent, with the intent of constructing a trade union hall on the site. However, the funding for this project dried up and the halted construction site became an eyesore. The city then decided to subdivide the land and grant usage of the site to several organizations and businesses, including a local hospitality enterprise by the name of Srbija-Turist, which repurposed the unfinished building, completed construction, and opened the Ambasador Hotel in 1968.[1]

In its heyday, the hotel hosted numerous local and international celebrities and politicians, including Former President of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito, and actors Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton when they attended the 1973 Niš Film Festival to present the film Battle of Sutjeska, in which Burton played a younger Broz.

Closure and Reopening

Ownership of the hotel changed hands in the early 21st century and was closed in 2013, after 45 consecutive years in business.[2]

In 2016, the hotel was acquired at auction by My Place Group for approximately 850,000 EUR, subsequently renovated, and reopened in 2019.[3]

References

43.321°N 21.8967°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Stojanović . Anđela . 2019-12-30 . "Ambasador" u ogledalu: Orient, Tito i Elizabet Tejlor . 2023-09-05 . mediareform.rs . en-US.
  2. Web site: Тодоровић . Тома . Затворен и хотел „Амбасадор” . 2023-09-05 . Politika Online.
  3. Web site: Hotel "Ambasador" opened again. 10 July 2019. Južne vesti.