{"id":6065,"date":"2021-08-30T08:21:37","date_gmt":"2021-08-30T08:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/croatia2go.com\/index.php\/2021\/08\/30\/the-grand-hotel-imperial-was-the-beginning-of-dubrovnik-elite-tourism\/"},"modified":"2024-09-23T09:28:09","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T07:28:09","slug":"the-grand-hotel-imperial-was-the-beginning-of-dubrovnik-elite-tourism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/croatia2go.com\/?p=6065","title":{"rendered":"The Grand Hotel Imperial was the beginning of Dubrovnik elite tourism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dubrovnik is a status symbol. It’s one of Croatia’s trademarks.<\/a> Even Croats, but also all neighbors from the region do not forget to \u2018mention\u2019 that they were in Dubrovnik, passed through it, saw someone or something similar. Dubrovnik is \u2018to see and to be seen’.<\/a> Dubrovnik is an IT place. This must be shared on social networks (why do I never do that !?) The word \u2018Dubrovnik\u2019 is the most sought after when it comes to Croatian tourism, but also about Croatia in general.
\nBut that was not always like that.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The old Grand Imperial hotel, Dubrovnik, Croatia, photo credit by Hilton Imperial Hotel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Old
Old Entrance of the Grand Imperial hotel, Dubrovnik, Croatia, photo credit by Hilton Imperial Hotel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The beginning of Dubrovnik’s elite tourism<\/h3>\n

Dubrovnik’s elite tourism begins with its first luxury hotel – Imperial Dubrovnik, a hotel that still reflects the history surrounding it.
\nOriginally built in 1897, this hotel represents the first modern hotel in Dubrovnik and its building signaled a historic transformation of Dubrovnik\u2019s tourism.<\/p>\n

\"Old
The Old Port, Dubrovnik, Croatia, photo credit by Hilton Imperial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Baron Viktor Kalchberg, president of \u201cAustrian Lloyds\u201d, which operated steamships to larger coastal cities of the Adriatic coastline, noticed that very few of his passengers decided to travel to distant Dubrovnik and that those who did go, only stayed for a short time due to the lack of quality hotel accommodation. At that time, only 4 Dubrovnik hotels offered rather modest accommodation.<\/p>\n

\"Hilton
Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik , Croatia, photo credit by Hilton Imperial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first Dubrovnik luxury hotel<\/h3>\n

In November 1893 Kalchberg sent a letter to the then-mayor of the Community of Dubrovnik, Baron Frano Gondoli-Ghetaldi, expressing his company’s interest in \u201cerecting in Dubrovnik a very nice hotel so that foreign visitors might visit Dubrovnik more often and stay in this gentleman ambiance in order to improve their health \u201d. The local authorities and the public supported the idea. The renowned Venetian architect Ludwig Tischler was assigned with designing the Grand Imperial and the construction started in 1895.<\/p>\n

\"Hilton
Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik , Croatia, photo credit by Hilton Imperial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two years later, on May 29th, 1897 a spectacular firework display lit the Dubrovnik night sky as the Imperial hotel was formally opened.
\nNewspapers wrote that \u201ca taste of the food and drink\u201d was organized for the ordinary Dubrovnik citizens who were able to try the finest offer in the hotel restaurant.<\/p>\n

\"Deluxe
Deluxe suite sea view, Hilton Imperial, Dubrovnik, Croatia, photo credit by Hilton Imperial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"King
King Executive sea -city view and balcony, Hilton Imperial, Dubrovnik, Croatia, photo credit by Hilton Imperial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The hotel with prestigious tourist services<\/h3>\n

The Imperial was the first hotel to have electric lighting, central heating, an electric lift, and hot and cold running water. Inside the grandiose building, there were reading salons and card rooms, a special hall for ladies, a spacious restaurant, a belvedere on the main roof, an attractive garden, and guests were served for the first time by professionally qualified staff. At that time \u201cGrand Hotel Imperial\u201d only had two floors with 70 rooms equipped with stylish furniture.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Imperial Bar and Lounge, Hilton Imperial, Dubrovnik, Croatia, photo credit by Hilton Imperial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is still not the standard for premium hotels today, the Grand Hotel Imperial in Dubrovnik then offered to its guests. Can you imagine, that the hotel had its own small steamship named \u201cIda\u201d to took hotel guests on excursions to the Dubrovnik Riviera. But, it’s interesting that if there were any free places on the Ida, Dubrovnik citizens were able to join too. The hotel service was enhanced in 1908 with its own carriages to transfer guests to any destination in Dubrovnik, and in 1923, by purchasing four Mercedes cars, with liveried uniformed drivers also drove guests on longer routes.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Imperial Bar and Lounge, Hilton Imperial, Dubrovnik, Croatia, photo credit by Hilton Imperial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dubrovnik became the IT place<\/h3>\n

Then begins the phase we call \u2018it place\u2019 today. The rich and the famous<\/a> line up to stay in Dubrovnik\u2019s new hotel. The local citizens of Dubrovnik<\/a> called the century-old Imperial, \u201ca hotel which remembers much\u201d, because it was a witness to, and a direct participant of, many interesting events in Dubrovnik.<\/p>\n

\"Hilton
Hilton Imperial Terrace restaurant,Dubrovnik, Croatia, photo credit by Hilton Imperial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dubrovnik – a favorite winter tourism destination<\/h3>\n

At that time, winter tourism was far more developed than summer tourism,<\/a> which is the opposite of today. British King Edward VIII and the American Wallis Simpson danced in the hotel garden in August 1936. The famous couple<\/a> drank English tea in the gardens of the hotel in the midday sun. Famous people from all over the world visited Dubrovnik and stayed in Imperial. The hotel becomes the soul of the city where all the social events took place.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Imperial Bar and Lounge, Hilton Imperial, Dubrovnik, Croatia, photo credit by Hilton Imperial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The hotel added a third floor in 1905. And in 1913. an additional building was erected, so the number of rooms went from the original 70 to 120. Unfortunately, during attacks in the Homeland War in 1991 and 1992, the hotel often found itself as a target even though several hundred refugees were sheltered there. Because of direct hits and mortar explosions on November 11 and 12, 1991, large fires burning on all three floors, even taking casualties.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Imperial Bar and Lounge, Hilton Imperial, Dubrovnik, Croatia, photo credit by Hilton Imperial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reflagged as Hilton in 2005, the \u201cImperial\u201d has become a modern business hotel \u201cHilton Imperial Dubrovnik\u201d<\/a>, following the roots and tradition of Dubrovnik hospitality. Although completely\u00a0renovated, Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik has preserved original 19th-century architectural features and all the best from its glamorous past, while at the same time offering contemporary comfort and technology. And most importantly the heart and soul of the hotel, a heart that has been beating along with Dubrovnik<\/a> for centuries, is alive and well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The
The Imperial Bar and Lounge, Hilton Imperial, Dubrovnik, Croatia, photo credit by Hilton Imperial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A hotel with a story and a history!<\/h3>\n

Choose Grand Imperial Hotel for your stay in Dubrovnik.
\nSuppose you are not ‘hit’ by this fantastic hotel’s historical lines and ‘testimonies’; the view from the terrace of the city that proudly sighs in front of you will certainly not leave you indifferent.<\/p>\n

\"Hilton
Hilton Imperial Terrace restaurant, Dubrovnik, Croatia, photo credit by Hilton Imperial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dubrovnik is a status symbol. It’s one of Croatia’s trademarks. Even Croats, but also all neighbors from the region do not forget to \u2018mention\u2019 that they were in Dubrovnik, passed through it, saw someone or something similar. Dubrovnik is \u2018to see and to be seen’. Dubrovnik is an IT place. This must be shared on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6081,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1691,35,23,40,656,186],"tags":[2550,43,1725,2551,2552,2553,2554,2555,1736,2556],"class_list":["post-6065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-5-stars-hotels-in-croatia","category-croatia2day","category-dalmatia","category-dubrovnik","category-heritage-hotels-in-croatia","category-staycation-croatia","tag-baron-viktor-kalchberg","tag-dubrovnik","tag-dubrovnik-riviera","tag-dubrovniks-elite-tourism","tag-grand-hotel-imperial-by-hilton","tag-grand-imperial-hotel-dubrovnik","tag-luxury-heritage-hotel-dubrovnik","tag-modern-business-hotel-hilton-imperial-dubrovnik","tag-staycation-dubrovnik","tag-the-city-of-dubrovnik"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/croatia2go.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/croatia2go.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/croatia2go.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/croatia2go.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/croatia2go.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/croatia2go.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6065\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/croatia2go.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/croatia2go.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/croatia2go.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/croatia2go.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}