There are few hotels which have as chequered a history as the Royal Hotel in Budapest, now known as the Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal.

Last week, this legendary hotel celebrated its 110th anniversary since its official opening way back in 1896 with a concert and gala dinner, the latter held in the magnificent ballroom where the first screening of a motion picture by the Lumiere brothers in Budapest took place early in the last century.

But that was only one of the many events that the Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal is remembered for. Famous Hungarian composer Bela Bartok frequently conducted music and in 1909, the first Hungarian airplane was exhibited.

Although it was officially opened on 1 May 1896, the hotel was not always functioning throughout these 110 years.

When it first opened, the hotel had 232 guest rooms and 20 individual apartments, and was built in French Renaissance style. It had two restaurants, a café and a pastry shop, apart from facilities such as a post office and a bank.

As part of a modernisation project in the 1920s, the number of rooms was reduced and the ballroom was transformed into a cinema called Royal Apollo, which later reopened in 1959 as the Red Star Cinema when Hungary was under Communist rule.

After World War II, the building was reopened as a hotel after restoration work in 1953, but three years later its roof and some rooms were destroyed by fire as fighting erupted in the streets of Budapest during the Soviet occupation. The hotel was reconstructed and re-opened in 1961, but over the years it became obsolete and closed its doors in 1991.

It reopened as the Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal in 2003 – on 30 April, exactly 107 years after its first official opening in 1896 – after a e100 million investment, which represents the largest scale hotel refurbishment project in Hungary to date. The project restored the Royal to its former glory and splendour, and today the five-star hotel is one of the major landmarks in a growing city.

Last week’s celebrations were presided by the chairman of International Hotel Investments, Alfred Pisani, in the presence of Foreign Affairs Minister Michael Frendo.

Mr Pisani also introduced to the guests present a number of employees who have worked at the hotel for many years under different ownerships, including an 85-year-old gentleman who was first employed in 1938.

For the occasion, a book called Grand Hotel Royal Budapest, forming part of The Most Famous Hotels in the World collection, was also published. The hard-bound publication describes in detail the history of the hotel from day one until the most recent activities, including the reopening of the hotel spa which is a delightful state-of-the-art complex for the relaxation of the body and the mind. The book, which took 18 months to complete, is written by Andreas Augustin.

An exhibition with relics from the hotel history, including the first menu that was ever served and photographs of the hotel from the outside and the interior, was also opened.

The over 400 rooms in the hotel are complemented by 26 apartments that are situated behind the main hotel building. The apartments were opened earlier this year and are aimed for long lets, although bookings for short stays are also accepted depending on availability.

The hotel itself, with a unique façade that was renovated to the highest standards by Corinthia, has high standard conference facilities, aptly named after Malta’s capital city Valletta. The rooms are equipped with modern amenities including internet connections.