Among the “distinguished guests were the district prefect, the Mayor of Zagreb Mr. Heinzel, consuls, bankers, journalists and many others in that beautiful hotel with a touch of class”. Newspapers wrote: “The hotel is worldly appointed, luxurious, sophisticated, extremely comfortable and equipped with the latest achievements in modern techniques. It reminds one of the famous international hotels. Private lounges for smoking, conversation, music and business meetings are there to meet all the needs of business travelers. The intimate ambience of some of these rooms is ideal for a dinner for two. The big ballroom, decorated with ionic columns and sculptures is the most impressive. The restaurant and the coffee shop are also beautifully appointed”.
The importance of the Esplanade hotel for the development of tourism in Zagreb has been pointed out, as well as the importance of its location near the Zagreb railway station. A few days after this, the hotel opened its doors to receive its first guests - amongst them was a certain Mr. Glück, and as “glück” in German means “luck”, and the opening had been such a huge success, it was hoped that a bright future was in store.
Indeed, those first visitors had nothing to complain about. Two hundred rooms with hot and cold running water, one hundred bathrooms, a telephone in each room, numerous suites and lounges, a dining room offering delicious Viennese and Hungarian cuisine, were at their disposal. The Esplanade hotel also acquired some literary notoriety by becoming an ideal setting for love affairs in the work of contemporary writers…