Ambasador Hotel is a landmark hotel in the center of Niš, Serbia. It is the only 5-star hotel in the city.

Ambasador Hotel
Хотел Амбасадор
Map
General information
AddressKing Milan's Square
Opening1968
2017–2019 (Renovated)
OwnerMy Place Group
Height52.3m
Technical details
Floor count17
Other information
Number of rooms70
Number of suites12
ParkingYes
Website
www.hotelambasador.rs

First opened in 1968, Ambasador Hotel was the tallest building in Niš until the construction of the TV5 high-rise in 1973. Prominently located on the city center Kralj Milan (King Milan) Square, next to the Monument to the Liberators of Niš, and near the Nišava river and the Ottoman-era Niš Fortress, the hotel is considered by locals to be a "symbol of the City of Niš".

History

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The first hotel in Niš, the Hotel Orijent, was constructed on the site where the Ambasador Hotel stands today and opened in 1899. In 1960, the city demolished the Hotel Orijent, with the intent of constructing a trade union hall on the site. However, the funding for this project dried up and the halted construction site became an eyesore. The city then decided to subdivide the land and grant usage of the site to several organizations and businesses, including a local hospitality enterprise by the name of Srbija-Turist, which repurposed the unfinished building, completed construction, and opened the Ambasador Hotel in 1968.[1]

In its heyday, the hotel hosted numerous local and international celebrities and politicians, including Former President of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito, and actors Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton when they attended the 1973 Niš Film Festival to present the film Battle of Sutjeska, in which Burton played a younger Broz.

Closure and Reopening

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Ownership of the hotel changed hands in the early 21st century and was closed in 2013, after 45 consecutive years in business.[2]

In 2016, the hotel was acquired at auction by My Place Group for approximately 850,000 EUR, subsequently renovated, and reopened in 2019.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Stojanović, Anđela (2019-12-30). ""Ambasador" u ogledalu: Orient, Tito i Elizabet Tejlor". mediareform.rs. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  2. ^ Тодоровић, Тома. "Затворен и хотел „Амбасадор"". Politika Online. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  3. ^ "Hotel "Ambasador" opened again". Južne vesti. 10 July 2019.

43°19′16″N 21°53′48″E / 43.3210°N 21.8967°E / 43.3210; 21.8967