Minister of Finance: The sale of the Thermal hotel is not on the agenda

Prague - The sale of the Karlovy Vary hotel Thermal, which is scheduled for a three-year reconstruction costing 580 million crowns starting this year, is not on the agenda, according to Finance Minister Alena Schillerová (ANO). The minister, whose office manages the hotel, stated this today in the Chamber of Deputies during interpellations. However, she hinted at the possibility of renting the hotel.

"Definitely not on the agenda is the sale of the hotel; the consideration is for a lease," she said to the deputies.

Schillerová stated that according to the investment plan, 300 million crowns from its own sources will be used for the hotel’s reconstruction. Another 122 million crowns will come from an approved grant for reducing the energy intensity of the Thermal hotel's building, and the remaining sum is to be obtained through a loan.

The minister considers it crucial to safeguard the state investment, to initiate the reconstruction as quickly as possible, and not to jeopardize the holding of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The reconstruction will include repairs to the adjacent pool. Whether it will also feature a sauna world and wellness center is, according to the minister, still under consideration. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, Michaela Tesařová, stated a month ago that transforming the pool into a public spa wellness center is part of the investment plan.

The rooftop pool of the Thermal hotel was one of the symbols of the spa town, but it was closed for technical reasons at the end of 2016 and has since been deteriorating to the great displeasure of the public and experts. The hotel, designed by the Machonin couple in the 1970s, has undergone partial modifications in recent years and needs a complete reconstruction. Last year, the Ministry of Culture refused its registration as a cultural monument, partly because, due to its location in the center of Karlovy Vary, it is already subject to heritage protection.