· Open -

In October 1983 for the Winter Olympics

· 1st Owner -

It was State owned under the Yugoslav system

· AKA -

Holiday Inn

· Stars - ****

· Guests -

During the Olympics it was the headquarters for the International Olympic Committee and its President Juan Antonio Samaranch / Kirk Douglas 

After the Olympics guests included national and international musicians, sports stars, actors and politicians.

During the war it had an eclectic mix of different characters from all over. Including Christiane Amanapour

· History -

Originally built for the 1984 Winter Olympics which went on to be hugely successful. Only 8 years later the city was at war and under siege. The Hotel remained open and became a base for the foreign journalists covering the war.

The hotel was attacked many times but it was still the safest place for journalists even though it was actually on Sniper Alley. During the war it didn't have a regular power or water supply.

The hotel began welcoming "normal" guests in 1996 and an initial renovation took place. In 2003 an Austrian businessman bought the hotel. He lost the Holiday Inn branding in 2011 and it went downhill from there. It went bankrupt and was closed in 2015.

It reopened in 2016 as the Hotel Holiday a part of the Hotel Europe Group which is owned by a Bosnian businessman.

After surviving all of that the hotel is now being seriously challenged by the corona virus.

· Signature -

The canary yellow, brown and grey facade that aren't everybodies favourite colour combination. The construction workers thought it was a joke.

· Rooms -

364 rooms and 16 suites @ $86 - $698

· Tales -

When the war started in 1992 the Bosnian Serb leader and now convicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic had his offices in the hotel. After he fled the hotel the foreign press moved in.

In the early weeks of the siege the hotel had been hit over 100 times. With the constant attacks there was no glass left in the windows. One time a grenade came through two walls and a bathroom before it exploded in the stairwell which was a disaster. There were only a few safe areas in the 10 storey building.

Getting in and out of the hotel was extremely dangerous. For the journalists going from being outside in a war zone to inside where smiling waiters in ironed jackets and bow ties were serving food and drinks was like going into a parallel universe. To pass time when they weren't covering the war they played poker and the piano. Sometimes love affairs blossomed.

· Claims to Fame -

It survived the longest siege in modern history

The Hotel was opened by Juan Antonio Samaranch ahead of the 1984 Winter Olympics

It has had a book written about it - Sarajevo Holiday Inn: On the Front Lines Of Politics And War by Professor Kenneth Morrison

· Innovations -

A disco in the basement - Discoteka '84

· Feature -

It's located in the centre of town

A tram line runs along by the hotel

· View -

City, National Museum

· Facilities -

Hair Salon / Tobacco Shop / renowned boutiques / Indoor Swimming Pool / Jacuzzi / Two storey Spa, Treatments and Massages / Sauna / Fitness Centre / 9 congress halls with a capacity for 1,500 people / parking / travel agents / banking

· Unique -

It was the first hotel in Sarajevo with an international brand

· Restaurants -

National restaurant - with national and international dishes open 24 hours

Pastry Shop

· Bars -

Caffe Inn - wide selection of cocktails and aperitifs, open 24 hours

· Sights -

• 7 km riverside walking / jogging trail on Wilson's Promenade

• Avaz Twist Tower

• Eternal Flame

• Latin Bridge and museum where WWI started 

• Sarajevo Spite House - an old fellow who refused to sell his house back in 1892 until he relented in 1895 on the condition they moved it across the river brick by brick - he stood there on the bridge enjoying a smoke and watching his victory take place - the house is now a restaurant

• Sarajevo Cable Car

• Sarajevo Tunnel Museum - that allowed supplies in and kept them alive

• Winter Olympic abandoned and graffitied Luge Track 

• The ironic ICAR Canned Beef Monument - the locals weren't too impressed with their inedible humanitarian aid 

• Sarajevo Roses

• Ferhadija Pedestrian Street

• Sarajevo Clock Tower - the world's only public clock that keeps lunar time

• Baščaršija - centre of the Old Town with a market and bazaar

· Extra -

See Bosnia and Herzegovina (#7 Sarajevo 2 Mostar) in 'Countries A - L'