Historic Hotel Palace Portorož to re-open under Kempinski Management

Kempinski has signed an agreement with Istrabenz Hoteli Portorož d.o.o., to manage its first property in Slovenia, the historic Hotel Palace, at the very heart of the cosmopolitan tourist town of Portorož, renowned for its mild climate and a century of spa traditions.

The hotel, which dates back to 1910, is completing a five-year restoration programme and is scheduled to reopen during 2008, with an historic building and a newly built modern section. The Kempinski Palace Portoroz will offer 185 spacious rooms and suites.

Kempinski Palace Portoroz embodies the ‘old meets new’ concept by incorporating the different architectural styles which influenced the historic building as it was built, from Secession, Art Nouveau and Bauhaus to cubism and Art Deco, all the way to today’s modern style. The 185 rooms and suites are located in both the renovated historic Palace building (107 rooms) and the newly built section (78 rooms).

The Palace also houses the property’s restaurant, including a champagne bar, a unique historic ballroom, state-of-the-art conference and event facilities, shopping and the Presidential Suite. The modern section is where the wellness and recreation facilities are located. The hotel’s wellness philosophy is inspired by the use of roses (Portorož means ‘port of roses’) as well as salt and will be based on aromatherapy, with personalised treatments available after an interview with a specialized homeopathic doctor.

The hotel’s extensive park was declared a  “Monument of Landscaped Nature” in 1983 and is being recreated along the original designs. The southern part of the garden will feature a pool and a wooden terrace with palms and pavilions.

Tourism in Portorož began in 1885 as a natural result of the region’s climate, sea water, brine and phango mud. The Hotel Palace was built in 1910, to host aristocratic visitors to the resort. Portorož, together with Gradež, the Venetian Lido and Opatija, belonged to the most important European seaside bathing areas and health resorts of the time. When it opened, the Hotel Palace was, together with Hotel Excelsior in Venice, the most beautiful and biggest hotel on the Adriatic Coast. After the Second World War, the Hotel Palace hosted the famous casino of Portorož. At the end of 1983 it was declared a cultural monument and finally closed in 1990. 

In 2003, Istrabenz Hoteli Portorož purchased the hotel with the mission of restoring the building and once more making the property a synonym for the highest levels of quality and service in the region.

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