Hotel No. 16 was a curious place; in a Swiss chalet style building that is shared with the Liberian Embassy and inside had an intriguing collection of expensive furniture, cheesy bric-a-brac and a ceramic wood-burning stove that was providing far more heat in the reception area than was really necessary.
The rooms were excellent however and had wooden beams and tasteful décor, which probably explained why it was a bit more expensive than I usually like to pay for a room.
Although we didn’t know this in advance it turned out that the owner of the hotel was a man called Braňo Hronec who was a Slovakian jazz musician and pop star in the 1970’s and there were some heavily moustachioed Brotherhood of Man look-alike photographs of him on one wall of the hotel reception.
Apparently he recorded three long play records in quick succession before fading rather quickly into obscurity as a conductor of the Slovak Television Dance Orchestra in the 1980s and finally becoming a hotel proprietor of the Hotel No. 16.
As a pop star he is remembered in Slovakia chiefly because in the mid 1960s he established his own jazz sextet, pioneering the use of the then rare and expensive Hammond organ, and for releasing some cover versions of popular songs like ‘Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In’, but most of all for a version of Christie’s smash pop hit ‘Yellow River’ with Slovak lyrics.
Fascinating
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Interesting what people spend their money on.
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Indeed
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Thanks for the memories of Bratislava and al on my road warrior trips! Hotel and Liberia that is one heck of a combination lol!! Cheers
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John Illsley of Dire Straits owns our local East End Arms
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Interesting bit of trivia. Does he work there?
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Hopefully, he picked up enough Dos and Don’ts tips on the road to make his hotel into a comfortable one.
If ever you were looking for a retirement pastime perhaps could write
your own guide to Making your hotel memorable (for the right reasons)
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He had made a good job of it I have to say.
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Interesting post
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Thank you.
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Yellow River! There’s a song I haven’t thought about in decades probably. If it becomes an ear-worm and keeps me awake tonight I shall blame you.
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I think it was one of the first single records that I bought as a teenager.
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I love the look and feel of this place and would be happy to stay there, even with the higher prices. Did you learn the story behind the name of Hotel No. 16?
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It was just house number 16. Simple.
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