InterContinental Dhaka explained

Hotel Name:InterContinental Dhaka
Former Names:Hotel Inter-Continental Dacca
Sheraton Dhaka Hotel
Ruposhi Bangla Hotel
Location:1 Minto Road, Ramna, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
Building Type:Hotel
Public Transit: Shahbagh

The InterContinental Dhaka is a prominent luxury hotel in Ramna in central Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It opened in 1966 and is owned by the Bangladeshi government.

History

The Inter-Continental Dacca opened in 1966, when the city, then known as Dacca, was the capital of East Pakistan. The hotel was the first international five-star hotel in what would soon become the nation of Bangladesh. It was designed by architect William B. Tabler.[1]

The hotel played host to many important political events in the run up to the independence of Bangladesh, including negotiations on the transfer of power after the 1970 elections. During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, it was declared a neutral zone by the International Red Cross.[2] Many buildings in its surrounding neighborhoods were targeted by the Pakistani military, including newspaper offices and university halls.[3]

InterContinental Hotels operated the hotel until 1983, when it was taken over by Sheraton, becoming the Sheraton Dhaka Hotel. In 2011, Sheraton announced that it would end its contract with the Bangladeshi government to manage the hotel, which was renamed the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel.[4] In 2013, it was announced that InterContinental Hotels would re-assume management of the state-owned property, following a major renovation. The hotel closed on September 1, 2014, and reopened as the InterContinental Dhaka[5] on December 19, 2018.[6]

Location

The vicinity of the hotel includes the Shahbag roundabout, the Suhrawardy Udyan, Ramna Park, the Dhaka Club, the University of Dhaka, BSMMU, BIRDEM Hospital, the Bangladesh National Museum and official state guest houses.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: InterContinental Hotel Corporation Digital Archives . Neal Prince, AIA, ASID.
  2. Web site: The War Hotels: Bangladesh. H.D.S. Greenway. GlobalPost.
  3. News: Ahmed . Anis . 3 October 2014 . Hotel InterContinental : Memories abound as Inter Continental returns to Bangladesh . The Daily Observer . Dhaka.
  4. Web site: InterContinental returning to Dhaka. newstoday.com.bd. 2015-03-11. 2016-03-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304100046/http://www.newstoday.com.bd/?option=details&news_id=2359692&date=2013-10-23. dead.
  5. News: 2 September 2014 . Ruposhi Bangla ends operation . The Independent . Dhaka . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402181517/http://www.theindependentbd.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=228486%3Aruposhi-bangla-ends-operation&catid=110%3Abusiness-others&Itemid=156 . 2 April 2015 . dead .
  6. Web site: InterContinental Dhaka Hotel Opens in Bangladesh .