Complete refurbishment of rooms in Belgrade's hotel "Excelsior" finished - lounge and facades to be renovated by end of year

The refurbishment of rooms in Belgrade's hotel "Excelsior" in Kneza Miloša Street has been finished and, according to the words of hotel manager Christof Brukner, the works on revitalization of the lobby and facades will be completed by the end of year 2009. Total value of the investment is 2m EUR.

– Belgrade and Serbia need investors who believe that we are the leaders of southeast Europe. Our city should be the business center of this part of Europe, and tourism is one of the potentials that can be used for that purpose. In favor of that is the fact that 5% more tourists visited Belgrade during the first ten months of this year than in the same period in 2008. We will do our best to bring the world's largest hotel chains in the capital city of Serbia prior to 2012, but we also find it important to have such small hotels refurbished and revitalized in order to make it possible for Belgrade to become the congress tourism center. This city is the city of large manifestations, and that is why it is important to us to have that as one of the priorities within the concept of the strategy for development of Belgrade and the tourism strategy that we have adopted – said Željko Ožegović, a member of the City Council, who visited the hotel.

The hotel was put in operation on March 14, 1924. Due to historical-political events, "Excelsior" changed its initial purpose several times. During the World War II, it served as the headquarters for German General Staff, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry started using it in 1945. In 1948, it became a hotel again, but as a public property.