Wing Undertakes its 2nd Budapest Airport Hotel Project

This latest project reflects both the attractiveness of the Budapest hotel sector for developers and operators and the strategy of the operator Budapest Airport to extend services and infrastructure at Ferenc Liszt International as it looks to increase passenger and cargo traffic. 

With a direct connection to Terminal 2, the 8,000 sqm functional hotel with 167 rooms “will offer both business and leisure travelers an outstanding guest experience,” says Wing.

Based upon the successful operation of the 146-room Ibis Styles Budapest Airport Hotel and the availability of an adjacent development plot, Wing has proceeded with the construction of the new Tribe hotel. In addition to accommodation, it will offer a 150-seat conference room and two meeting rooms, a gym, a floor for sports enthusiasts, and a skybar.

“The Ibis Styles Budapest Airport Hotel, developed by our group, has been operating at almost full capacity since its opening, with excellent guest ratings. Based on existing guest demand and the success achieved, Tribe will arrive in 2025,” comments Noah Steinberg, president and CEO of Wing, on the new hotel project.

“This will be the brand’s second unit in Hungary, alongside the hotel in the mixed-use Liberty building that we also developed. The existing Ibis Styles and the new Tribe will be directly connected, and the new complex will be an important milestone in the life of the airport; the development will further expand the airport infrastructure,” he says.

“The number of available rooms more than double, and the additional high-quality services will enable the airport to meet the needs of its guests at a higher level,” Steinberg adds.

Dining area of the Ibis Styles Budapest Airport Hotel.

Business and Transfer Travelers

The hotel’s expanded services will be tailored primarily to business and transfer travelers with a large restaurant and lounge area that will accommodate 140 people in addition to a terrace with a capacity for 60 people, according to Frank Reul, VP for development at Accor Eastern Europe, owners of the Tribe brand. 

“It is of utmost importance to provide passengers with quality services. To this end, we are continuously developing the airport, in cooperation with our partners and through joint thinking,” explains René Droese, chief development officer for Budapest Airport.

“There is an increasing need to expand services and capacities in and around the airport as passenger traffic increases; we are therefore delighted to welcome the plan to build a new hotel, which fits in well with our Terminal 3 project and forms part of our Airport City development,” the CDO says.

Ester’s Partners will be responsible for the interior look. The building has been designed with sustainability in mind, and it will be one of the first Breeam-certified hotels in Hungary, according to Wing. Swietelsky Magyarország is carrying out the structural works, with earthworks already underway.

Wing’s hotel branch has completed four hotel projects with a total of 519 rooms to date. That will be further expanded this year with the Ibis Budapest Stadium and Tribe Budapest Stadium hotels adding an additional 332 rooms.

Budapest Airport’s long-term development plans include the expansion of the passenger terminal and the related infrastructure and services. The airport operator had developed its plans in such a way that another hotel building could be added adjacent to the existing one.

This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of October 20, 2023.