In seventy years, a person experiences many stories, but in the life of a hotel, many more happen in the same time.
There is no doubt about the perfectly elaborated work of art by the architect Emil Belluš and his team from 1954, nor the fact that Hotel Devín is a jewel of functionalism and a gallery of works of art. But its great story is written by thousands of small stories of people who built the hotel, stayed in it, worked there, spent their wedding, election night, hockey championships, or came to dine during the peak of socialism and indulged in a meal in an Asian restaurant that cooked in the non-global era from ingredients brought from distant Asia.
From the beginning, the hotel was designed as a hotel that operates until today. It always had the hallmark of nobility, exceptional people, intellectuals, foreign guests, and visitors who could always indulge in food and services uncommon in Bratislava. The hotel continues today in this spirit, although times have changed a lot.
People who stop there after many years feel as if they were returning in time. The hotel’s renovations were very sensitive. The premises retained their charm. That is why many films set in the last century are shot there.
Many of the stories that took place are known only from storytelling. No one has ever written them down, but it would be for a book. The cook once told us how the Dalai Lama ate bacon for breakfast. Michael York left his favorite expensive watch at the hotel and thanked the hotel very much when it was returned by mail. There are thousands of similar stories. What’s yours like?
Text: Betty Burianová, photo: Betty Burianová, archive of Hotel Devín
