The Story of
Hotel Royal
From the distillery to the hotel
Royal Hotel's journey to its current state and appearance began as early as the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1905, it could boast of its first installment. It was then one of the youngest children of the Poznan hotel industry. A short while earlier, at the end of the nineteenth century, the site of the present hotel was occupied by a distillery, where high-quality wines were produced. It was at the back of the building that the residence building was built in which the pre-war 'Royal' hotel operated. To this day, the original bills from the hotel bar are preserved, and what's interesting, the articles listed on them are still available for purchase at our hotel. The character of the then facility was presented in an industrial certificate from 1929, in which it was described as 'a small hotel in the yard'.
From the very beginning, our hotel was not only a witness to momentous historical events, but also actively contributed to the history of the city of Poznan. As 1918 turned to 1919, the Royal Hotel was the seat of the Central Command of the Greater Poland Uprising where Stanislaw Taczak, Stanislaw Lacinski and Bogdan Hulewicz commanded the national liberation fights. The hotel was chosen above all due to such qualities as location and convenient distribution of the hotel rooms. The total of 22 rooms were taken, which – as they were located at the side of the courtyard – provide the necessary discretion for the work of the staff. Additionally, the hotel managed to adapt the premises quickly to meet any future needs of the headquarters: they ensured the telephone equipment connection, they separated some floors with additional doors and the hotel owners helped perform night duty. After the transfer of the headquarters, the staff continued to use the help and kindness of the owners of the Royal Hotel. An interesting fact is that one of the first acts signed by Stanislaw Taczak was laid in the wall of the hotel. The location, however, remains a family mystery of the then owners and their descendants.
After World War II, the 'Royal' did not have to wait long for reactivation of the hotel business. It was the first hotel in Poznan to be ceremoniously opened and it was designed for delegates of the Polish Government. From that moment various fortunes awaited the hotel. For a time it even changed its name to 'Zacisze' ('Retreat'). During this period it operated more as a motel or a bunkhouse for workers of the Municipal Transport Company. It also housed the 'Actors House' for a while.
The hotel happily returned to the hands of the lawful successors in late 1992, and its original name was restored two years later. From this point we can talk about the continual development and raising the standard of services offered by the Royal Hotel. It is true that in the meantime the hotel had to face a fire as well, but luckily it was harmless enough that only renovation was needed. This unfortunate event was an opportunity to change the image of the hotel totally. The current owners attach great importance to the history of the place, which is why the current look and feel refers to its rich tradition.
Since 2002, annual meetings have been held on the occasion of the anniversary of the Greater Poland Uprising. In addition to the owners and members of the Greater Poland Uprising Memorial Association the meetings have been attended by representatives of the state and local authorities. Several years ago, a plaque commemorating the events of the beginning of the century was unveiled. This contributed to the achievement of the current owners' goals: 'So this place remains in the memory not only as a quality hotel, but also a place permanently connected with the history of our region. So the guests coming here from all over the world are able to experience the history, of which we can be very proud of'.
Since the tradition of our hotel is to support noble initiatives and activities, it has been a seat of one of the two Kiwanis Clubs in Poznan for 7 years. The Kiwanis Club is a charity founded in 1915 in the United States with the main goal to help terminally ill children, to combat illiteracy and to protect the environment and cultural heritage. At present, it brings together almost 300 thousand members belonging to over 8,600 clubs in 94 countries. Royal Hotel offers attractive discounts for members of the Kiwanis Club.
A unique concert cycle took place here as well. Its name was 'Symphonic Thursdays'. Our regular guests can surely still remember the concerts, while in the near future the owners are going to return to this beautiful artistic tradition involving musicians from Poznan. Undoubtedly, we can consider visits of our regulars – of the mentioned artists – as a part of the 'Royal' tradition. It is also worth mentioning that personalities such as Irena Kwiatkowska, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Krystyna Janda, Piotr Machalica and Marek Konrad were visiting us.
Royal Hotel has been refurbished, renovated, restored and is now fully modern and satisfies the European standards, yet it presents its glorious past in a stylish and dignified manner. The hotel blends historical charm with modern interior design with facilities.