The reconstruction of the Thermal hotel has moved to the upper floors

Karlovy Vary – The comprehensive reconstruction at the Thermal hotel in Karlovy Vary is continuing. The hotel opened the first approximately half of its rooms in June after easing protective measures against coronavirus, following a six-month pause. Work is thus continuing on the upper floors, as well as on the roof of the hotel, said hotel director Vladimír Dvořák to ČTK.

"At this moment, one of the most visible parts of the reconstruction is underway. The terraces and roof on the 16th floor are being renovated, where the insulation is being replaced. The handover of all technological components, cooling, and heating is in progress. Work is also finishing on floors ten to fifteen, which have undergone the most extensive modernization. We put the lower floors, 147 rooms, into operation on June 1, after 147 days," said Dvořák.

Work is also being done on completing the project for the renovation of the iconic hotel pool, which is above the hotel and offers the best view of the historic center of the city. According to Novák, the previously announced deadline for the completion of the pool renovation and its opening in June 2021 still stands. However, work will continue on the hotel as well. A call for tenders for the suppliers of new windows and for the renovation of the mezzanine and reception area is being prepared.

The entire reconstruction, according to Novák, aims to combine modernization with the preservation of the most authentic appearance of the hotel, which is the work of architects Věra and Vladimír Machonin. For example, the exterior coatings are in the original color, the corridors are lined with new, yet visually almost indistinguishable panels from the originals, and the original, merely reupholstered chairs are used in the interiors, while the orientation system in the hotel will remain in its original form. It will be supplemented with places that did not exist in the hotel during its construction in the 1970s, such as the balneotherapy facility.

The descendants of the Machonin family stated in February that the hotel management was not in negotiations with them regarding the reconstruction. Finance Minister Alena Schillerová (for ANO) then said that she wanted to discuss their objections with them.