New addresses

British Hotel is officially opened

The large wooden door opened wide to welcome the invited guests to the beautiful building on Landhausstrasse. Interested to see what was behind the beautiful facade, many representatives of Dresden politics, the authorities and the media accepted the invitation. The guests discussed their first impressions over breakfast snacks and coffee to the sound of live music from the Markus-Wagner-Quintett. Hapimag CEO Kurt Scholl welcomed the Mayor for Cultural Affairs, representatives from the authorities, business partners and journalists to the vaulted cellar with the words "I am absolutely delighted to welcome you to this historic building today". He then went on to describe the British hotel, explaining: "This building combines modern functionality with history." It was only thanks to the city and all of the companies and people who supported the building project that it even was possible to create this jewel in the heart of Dresden. Dr. Ralf Lunau, Mayor for Cultural Affairs of the City of Dresden added the following comments in his speech to the guests: "It is thanks to our strong common determination and common interest, that it was possible to successfully complete this exceptional building."

Two-year building period

Ulrich R. Schönfeld, Chief Executive Officer of IPRO DRESDEN, the company responsible for planning and project management, then handed over a symbolic key to Kurt Scholl. However, he did not hold onto it for long. That is because he passed it on immediately to Resort Manager Susann Zimmer. The Dresdener accepted the key with delight: "I am really looking forward to my new role here in the British Hotel. As a Dresdener, I am especially proud to work in this historic building. Together with my two staff, we will make sure that our members enjoy unforgettable stays here."

Modern apartments and older artefacts

After greeting the guests, Susann Zimmer invited them to the courtyard where the stonemasons moved a replica of Luna into position while architect Volker Röhricht explained the significance of these busts in the facade. During the tour, Röhricht went into more detail about the facade, which has been restored true to the original. In addition to the facade, the visitors also viewed the vaulted cellar, the lobby and an apartment in four groups. In the apartment, interior designer Steffi Schulze informed the guests about the furnishings of the modern apartments and the link between the facade and the replicas of nymph scenes on the beds. In the vaulted cellar, Victor Schulze, Project Manager of IPRO DRESDEN, explained how the cellar survived the bombing of 1945 and the construction tricks which were used to allow the cellar to support the entire building today. Peter Leemann, Hapimag Building Project Manager, gave a description of the overall building process in the lobby. After this, the guests reassembled in the cellar for a buffet lunch. This gave the guests the opportunity to discuss the construction period, the result and the excellent partnership in detail.

Already fully booked

Both the media, who have reported intensively on the reconstruction of the British Hotel in recent days, and the invited guests not only liked the facade, but also the interior design. From Monday, Hapimag members can see it for themselves. The city residence is already fully booked until January 2011.