InterContinental Dhaka

Coordinates: 23°44′28″N 90°23′47″E / 23.7410°N 90.3965°E / 23.7410; 90.3965
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InterContinental Dhaka
Map
Former namesHotel Inter-Continental Dacca
Sheraton Dhaka Hotel
Ruposhi Bangla Hotel
General information
TypeHotel
Location1 Minto Road, Ramna, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
Other information
Public transit access MRT Line 6  Shahbagh

The InterContinental Dhaka is a prominent luxury hotel in Ramna in central Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It opened in 1966 and is owned by the Bangladeshi government.

History[edit]

The hotel undergoing renovations, 2016

The Inter-Continental Dacca opened in 1966, when the city, then known as Dacca, was the capital of East Pakistan. The hotel was the first international five-star hotel in what would soon become the nation of Bangladesh. It was designed by architect William B. Tabler.[1]

The hotel played host to many important political events in the run up to the independence of Bangladesh, including negotiations on the transfer of power after the 1970 elections. During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, it was declared a neutral zone by the International Red Cross.[2] Many buildings in its surrounding neighborhoods were targeted by the Pakistani military, including newspaper offices and university halls.[3]

InterContinental Hotels operated the hotel until 1983, when it was taken over by Sheraton, becoming the Sheraton Dhaka Hotel. In 2011, Sheraton announced that it would end its contract with the Bangladeshi government to manage the hotel, which was renamed the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel.[4] In 2013, it was announced that InterContinental Hotels would re-assume management of the state-owned property, following a major renovation. The hotel closed on September 1, 2014 and reopened as the InterContinental Dhaka[5] on December 19, 2018.[6]

Location[edit]

The vicinity of the hotel includes the Shahbag roundabout, the Suhrawardy Udyan, Ramna Park, the Dhaka Club, the University of Dhaka, BSMMU, BIRDEM Hospital, the Bangladesh National Museum and official state guest houses.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "InterContinental Hotel Corporation Digital Archives". Neal Prince, AIA, ASID.
  2. ^ H.D.S. Greenway. "The War Hotels: Bangladesh". GlobalPost.
  3. ^ Ahmed, Anis (3 October 2014). "Hotel InterContinental : Memories abound as Inter Continental returns to Bangladesh". The Daily Observer. Dhaka.
  4. ^ "InterContinental returning to Dhaka". newstoday.com.bd. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
  5. ^ "Ruposhi Bangla ends operation". The Independent. Dhaka. 2 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
  6. ^ "InterContinental Dhaka Hotel Opens in Bangladesh".

23°44′28″N 90°23′47″E / 23.7410°N 90.3965°E / 23.7410; 90.3965