Discover TRIBE Budapest Airport Hotel: Bold Design, Big Views

Have you ever had a connecting flight that’s just long enough to cram some sightseeing in but too short to justify a city-centre hotel? That's us. But instead of camping out at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport with our luggage and a sad airport sandwich, we decide to find a hotel and make a quick city break of it. We need somewhere close to the airport but still convenient for central Budapest. Somewhere with a high-end feel but at a fair price. And that’s how we land on TRIBE Budapest Airport.

The walk from the airport takes about 10 minutes along a partly covered walkway. In the distance, even before you arrive, you can see the building, with its contemporary, curved facade and angled windows. The thing about most airport hotels? They’re forgettably bland. Not TRIBE Budapest Airport, designed by renowned Hungarian architect László Szerdahelyi. From the moment the automatic doors slide open, we’re hit with energy and contrast.
 

Dashes of brick red and electric blue. Plush sofas alongside cool marble and warm metal. Yet the vibe in this open-plan space is relaxed. We see fellow travellers relaxing in the Lobby Bar, and businesspeople conferring over laptops in the Social Living Space. The artwork catches our eye: large-format art pieces by Estonia-based photographer Virgo Haan that play with geometric shapes and soft lines.
 

We also notice small but thoughtful details designed with airport travellers in mind. There are two reception desks for quick check-in and check-out, plus a screen displaying live flight information. Tucked next to the reception is a boutique with travel essentials you tend to forget or lose, like sunglasses and umbrellas. And there's a 24-hour Grab & Go counter stocked with sandwiches, salads and drinks for awkwardly timed arrivals or departures.

We’re in the TRIBE Max Suite, and the runway is right there. Through large picture windows, we can watch planes taxi and lift, silently: the windows are sealed and non-opening for airport security reasons, making the room a soundproofed capsule of calm. Pull the blackout curtains and you’re prepped to sleep like it’s midnight, whatever time of day it might be.
 

The design is sharp and confident: anchored by a graphic black-and-white patterned carpet, with a bed headboard upholstered in a warm rust orange and a cobalt-blue sofa. A little blue porcelain dog perches midway up the bedroom wall – a local connection, we’re told, to a storied Hungarian manufacturer.
 

We throw ourselves on the gorgeously comfy TRIBE signature bed and survey our space. There are tea and coffee-making facilities, plus Kevin Murphy amenities in the bathroom. A sofa bed makes this a great option for families or groups who want a bit more room to spread out. And there’s free Wi-Fi and a Chromecast TV, but with our rumbling tummies, we’re parking that for later.

The ground-floor TRIBE Table restaurant operates all day from breakfast through to late dinner, with a California-inspired concept: bright, fresh, healthy. But the menu, designed by seasoned TRIBE chef Ottó Maszarek, caters to a world traveller’s appetite, with global favourites like pho and risotto sitting alongside burgers and steaks. Our friendly server informs us that the kitchen is also careful about allergens and dietary requirements.
 

Tempted as we are by the beef sirloin tacos and the burrata with basil and mint, we’re in the mood for something lighter. The avo salad with salmon is balanced yet satisfying, with a tangy olive oil and lemon-lime dressing, while the grilled halloumi with chickpeas hit the spot with its umaminess and contrasting textures. Leaving just enough room for the scrumptiously gooey lava cake with vanilla ice cream.  

Not everyone arriving at TRIBE Budapest Airport is here for a layover – with its proximity to the airport, this hotel is the ideal meeting venue for anyone who doesn’t want to waste time on city traffic. There are four meeting rooms on the ground floor, all flooded with natural light and accommodating between 15 and 150. We reckon it must make a refreshing change to conduct a board meeting with planes taxiing past in the background!

Eager to make the most of our short time here, we stroll to the Aeropark Aviation Museum. It’s great fun, even if you’re not an avgeek – there are a dozen or so decommissioned planes and helicopters sitting on open-air display, with kids (and adults) clambering gleefully in and out of cockpits. We learn that Aeropark also run guided tours of the airport – book in advance and you can ride on a restored vintage bus right next to the ramps and runways, and even get out of the bus at normally restricted areas.
 

One of the best things about TRIBE Budapest Airport is that you’re only 35 minutes from one of Europe’s most beautiful capital cities. Bus 100E, which leaves from Terminal 2, runs a near-express route into the city centre, stopping at Kálvin Square (home to the Hungarian National Museum), the buzzing Astoria intersection and Deák Ferenc Square, right in the heart of things.

We hop off there and admire the Budapest Eye Ferris wheel. Then we head east along Andrássy Avenue, a famed boulevard lined with Renaissance Revival palaces, pavement cafés and posh boutiques, stopping a little way up to take in the stunning Neoclassical Hungarian State Opera House. If we’d kept going, we’d have reached the imposing Heroes Square and the famed Széchenyi Thermal Bath, but we’ll save that for next time.
 

Instead, we stroll down to the Danube, where the Parliament building rises above the water: imposingly Gothic, golden in the afternoon light. Crossing the Chain Bridge into Buda, we climb up Castle Hill’s winding cobblestone streets to Fisherman's Bastion and its turreted lookout towers, and drink in the vistas of the beautiful city below us. 

Skybar on the seventh floor is where your evening properly begins – or in our case, wraps up. Three sections, all with airport views, give you options: a fully enclosed lounge; a breezy area with a retractable ceiling; and an open-air terrace looking right at the runway. The terrace isn’t always open to guests – in bad weather, for example – so we’re lucky it is tonight. We order a couple of their signature cocktails: the Skyline Royal is zesty and refreshing, with Grand Marnier and a ginger-sugar syrup, while the Pearl of Budapest is a deliciously floral concoction of Szerelmem, a dessert wine from Hungary’s famed Tokaj region, and passion fruit juice. 
 

Drinks in hand, we stand and gaze at the airport spread out below us, buildings lit up and planes gliding through the dusk. No doubt about it: we're so glad we're at TRIBE Budapest Airport instead of languishing in the departure terminal!

• Savvy travellers who want to make the most of a layover
• Families looking for a fun, easy base near the airport with room to breathe
• Business travellers who want meetings with a view – and a proper bar right upstairs
• Design lovers who enjoy airport hotels with personality
• Aviation enthusiasts and anyone who fancies watching planes from a rooftop bar with a cocktail in hand

• The little blue dog: Every TRIBE room has a ceramic dog made by Zsolnay Porcelain, a Hungarian porcelain manufacturer with over a century of history. Pose with the supersized version In the lobby. 
• Sunset at Skybar: Seventh floor, signature cocktail in hand, airport spread out below.
• The award-winning restrooms: Yes, really. The ground-floor restrooms won a Hungarian design award for their sculptural fittings and innovative lighting.
• In a cockpit at Aeropark: These Soviet-era jets feel straight out of a Cold War thriller, with the added bonus of a working airport in the backdrop.
• On top of Castle Hill: Bask in the views from Fisherman’s Bastion, with the Parliament building across the river and the city fanning out in every direction.

Address: Int Airport, Terminal 2, Budapest Liszt Ferenc, 1185 Hungary

Directions: 10 mins' walk from Terminal 2, or bus 100E from the city centre