Aria Hotel Budapest: Music to a Bride’s Ears
If walls could talk, the ones at the Aria Hotel Budapest wouldn’t speak a word … they would sing.
This luxury boutique hotel opened in 2015 as a member of the prestigious Library Hotel Collection—which also includes the Hotel X in Toronto, the Aria Hotel Prague, and New York City’s Hotel Giraffe, Casablanca Hotel, Hotel Elysee, and Library Hotel—and quickly made a name for itself as the world’s second music-themed hotel, after its sister property in Prague.
Located on the Pest side of the Danube River, the 49-room hotel is a music lover’s dream, where every aspect of the design has been orchestrated to compliment the hotel’s overall concept that music is a universal language that holds the power to transcend a simple hotel stay into an ethereal experience for guests of all cultures and nationalities.
Guests arrive to the Aria Hotel Budapest on foot, as the hotel is located on one of the city’s most picturesque pedestrian only streets, and are instantly greeted by stylish piano key tiles that wind through the hotel’s lobby. Check-in begins with a short questionnaire about your musical preferences and ends with a personal tour through the Musical Garden Courtyard where a grand Gergely Boganyi piano (one of three in the world) acts as the musical centerpiece for the Zoltan Varro designed space.
From there guests are whisked away to one of four wings of the hotel, each themed after a different musical genre (Classical, Opera, Contemporary, and Jazz), before arriving in their private room dedicated to an artist of that genre (Count Basie, Bob Dylan, the Beetles, Franz Liszt, and more). Although Musical Director Kornél Magyar selects the first song to serenade your stay (again, based on your musical preferences), all guests have access to the hotel’s extensive digital music library via an in-room iPad so they can customize the soundtrack for their vacation.
Along with a complimentary breakfast buffet for guests, the hotel also offers a complimentary wine and cheese reception every night between 4PM and 6PM where guests can sample local Hungarian wines and hors d’oeuvres while listening to live music performed by a local musician.
The hotel features a fantastic Hungarian restaurant onsite and a casual bar and library on the first floor, but the crowning jewel of the hotel’s dining options is found on the roof of this seven-floor hotel. The High Note SkyBar has been rated one of the best bars in the world and offers 360-degree views of the city. The bar is Budapest’s only year-round rooftop bar, and it is available for private weddings and receptions.
A short elevator ride down below the ground floor of the hotel will put guests face-to-face with the award-winning Harmony Spa. The spa specializes in pampering treatments, like its musically-inspired couples massages and anti-aging treatments using Hungarian wine and grape seed extracts and Hungarian Széchenyi thermal mineral water.
While the hotel is an obvious choice for romantic honeymoons with its spacious suite offerings and tons of customizable options (Want to walk in to your room to the same song you danced your first dance to? Want to surprise him with a stay in his favorite artists suite? Everything is possible!), the hotel is a great destination-wedding venue as well. Not only can brides reserve the entire rooftop terrace for a wedding or reception (READ: stunning pictures!), but the hotel can host a wedding/reception for up to 160 guests.
For more information, visit www.ariahotelbudapest.com.
