In the Dancing House, there is a hotel that offers luxurious accommodation and views of the Castle

Prague - A four-star hotel was opened today in the Dancing House, the most famous post-revolution building in Prague. In addition to luxurious accommodation, guests are offered the opportunity to stay inside a building that most tourists admire only from the outside. Most of the rooms overlook Prague Castle. The rooms are on two floors of the house.

"We have a ten-year contract with the building's owner. If it turns out in about two years that building a hotel in the Dancing House was a good idea, we will consider its expansion," said former footballer Vladimír Šmicer, who is the hotel investor, to ČTK.

The Dancing House, located on Rašínovo nábřeží in Prague, celebrates 20 years since its inception this year. The world-renowned building was designed by architects Frank O. Gehry and Vlado Milunič between 1994 and 1996. Over the two decades, the Dancing House has garnered numerous awards and has become one of the most photographed buildings in Prague. Since December 2013, the building has been owned by the Prague Property Management.

The building stands in a location that was a gap after bombing. In the early 90s, Milunič, along with then-president Václav Havel, came up with the idea of its construction. Originally, a building with a predominantly cultural focus, shops, or refreshments was planned. However, it was difficult to find an investor, and the construction was ultimately financed by Nationale Nederlanden, now ING, serving primarily as office space. The idea of opening a hotel was also partly driven by the challenging search for tenants, as office space continues to increase in Prague. The capital city does have enough hotel capacity, but according to industry experts, there is still a lack of higher-category capacities.




"The main idea was to have a hotel in this building. If it weren't the Dancing House, the partners probably wouldn't have decided on a hotel and wouldn't have looked for another one," described the main benefit of the new hotel its manager Ivana Peterková to ČTK today. They were also inspired by similar concepts abroad, where it is possible to spend the night in a significant monument of both older and modern architecture. "They wanted to bring the Dancing House back to life," she said. No extensions or additions were made during the hotel preparations, so there was no need for consultations with architects, she stated.

The hotel has 21 rooms and aims to cater to tourists, business people, film productions, and the Czech clientele. The towers feature apartments up to 70 square meters with direct views of Prague Castle. The two most luxurious apartments in both towers are called Ginger Royal Suite and Fred Royal Suite. The two towers of the house resemble the figures of dancers, which is why it is sometimes referred to as Ginger and Fred, in honor of dancers Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Guests have been staying at the hotel since August. According to Peterková, prices will be close to the five-star category after the hotel is established in the market.

The building also serves as a gallery, has an administrative center, a restaurant, and a tourist-frequented viewpoint on the rooftop terrace with a Glass Bar and a unique view of the Castle and the Prague skyline.