Today’s Sheraton Bucharest Hotel is one of the best-known five-star hotels in the Romanian capital, but its history began long before the appearance of international brands. On the site of the imposing building on Calea Dorobanților stood, starting in 1974, the Dorobanți Hotel, a representative establishment for Bucharest during the communist period. Its location in one of the city’s most elegant areas, in Sector 1, gave it a special status in the urban landscape from the very beginning.

From Hotel Dorobanți to a landmark of modern Bucharest

Hotel Dorobanți was designed as a space intended both for foreign tourists and for official delegations, at a time when Bucharest was beginning to develop vertically. 

Over the decades, the building became a point of reference, but with the economic and urban changes after 1990, the need for a major reconversion emerged. 

Thus, the old hotel entered an extensive transformation process, meant to bring it up to the international standards of the modern hospitality industry.

The major investment and the emergence of Howard Johnson Grand Plaza

In 2004, on the site of the former Dorobanți Hotel, Howard Johnson Grand Plaza was inaugurated, the result of an investment of approximately 30 million euros, carried out over a period of four years. 

The project involved not only the modernization of the existing building, but practically its reconstruction and complete redefinition, so that it would meet the requirements of a luxury hotel.

The year 2005 represented the first full year of operation of the new hotel unit, which quickly attracted attention both through its size and through the services offered. 

The property was owned by the company SC Grand Plaza Hotel SA, founded in 2004 and controlled by businessman Gabriel Popoviciu. Under this management structure, the hotel consolidated its position on the Bucharest hospitality market.

The radical transformation of the former Dorobanți Hotel marked an important moment for the local hotel industry, at a time when the capital was beginning to attract more and more business tourists and international events.

Architecture, dimensions, and top facilities

Howard Johnson Grand Plaza stood out from the very beginning through its impressive dimensions. The building has a height of approximately 70 meters, being one of the tallest structures in Bucharest at the time of its inauguration. With its 18 floors, the hotel quickly became a visual landmark in the Dorobanți area, dominating its surroundings through its modern silhouette.

The property had 285 rooms, designed to meet both the needs of leisure tourists and those of business travelers. In addition to these, there were essential facilities for the corporate segment, such as a conference center with a capacity of over 800 seats, two elegant restaurants, bars, a health center, and a generous underground parking lot, with around 200 spaces.

Through these amenities, the hotel managed to position itself as a complete venue, capable of hosting conferences, large-scale events, and premium stays, contributing significantly to the diversification of Bucharest’s hotel offer.

Membership in Wyndham Hotel Group and the status of the Howard Johnson brand

Howard Johnson Grand Plaza was part of Wyndham Hotel Group, the largest accommodation franchisor in the world at that time. The group brought together nearly 7,000 hotels in 66 countries, spread across six continents, consolidating its position as a global leader in the hospitality industry.

Alongside the Howard Johnson brand, Wyndham Hotel Group also included other well-known brands, such as Ramada, Days Inn, Knights Inn, Wingate Inn, Travelodge, Baymont, Hawthorn, or Super 8 Motel. Belonging to such an international conglomerate offered the Bucharest hotel global visibility and access to rigorous operational standards.

The Howard Johnson Grand Plaza brand represented the highest classification among the five divisions of the Howard Johnson chain. This superior positioning underlined the exclusive status of the Bucharest hotel, distinguishing it from other units in the network, such as Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel, Howard Johnson Hotel, Howard Johnson Inn, or Howard Johnson Express Inn.

The transition to Sheraton and a new international chapter

Another defining moment in the building’s history took place in 2015, when the hotel went through a rebranding and modernization process. Sheraton Bucharest Hotel was officially inaugurated on August 25, 2015, becoming the first hotel in Romania to bear the Sheraton brand.

This transformation was the result of an investment of approximately 6 million euros, begun in the autumn of 2014, after the American hotel group Starwood, owned by Marriott International, signed a franchise contract with Grand Plaza Hotel SA. 

The works aimed at modernizing the spaces, aligning them with Sheraton standards, and adapting the services to the requirements of an increasingly demanding international clientele.

The transition to the Sheraton brand meant more than a simple change of name. The hotel was integrated into a global network recognized for the quality of its services, comfort, and premium experiences, which strengthened Bucharest’s position on the map of business and city-break destinations in Eastern Europe.

The hotel’s current role in the life of the capital

Today, Sheraton Bucharest Hotel continues to be a central point of Bucharest’s hospitality life. Its location on Calea Dorobanților, close to business areas and cultural attractions, makes it attractive both to foreign tourists and to Romanian visitors. 

The hotel frequently hosts international conferences, corporate events, and diplomatic meetings, preserving the tradition of a space dedicated to economic and cultural elites.

Overall, the history of the building reflects the transformations Bucharest has undergone in recent decades. From the Dorobanți Hotel of the 1970s, to Howard Johnson Grand Plaza of the transition period and, finally, to Sheraton Bucharest Hotel, each stage added a new layer of identity and prestige. 

The building remains a symbol of continuous adaptation, demonstrating how an urban landmark can evolve along with the city and with the demands of a constantly changing world.

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