Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo paid €2,800 for one night at Budapest's Hotel Dorothea during the November 7–8, 2024 EU leaders' summit, after Hungarian presidency organizers redirected his delegation from the Ritz-Carlton, citing alleged "overbooking." Hotel Dorothea is owned by István Tiborcz, the son-in-law of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

An investigation by Direkt36 and VSquare established that the Hungarian EU Presidency recommended five hotels to incoming delegations: Hotel Dorothea, the Budapest Marriott, the Ritz-Carlton, the W Hotel Budapest, and the Matild Palace. The list was non-binding, but organizers offered to handle reservations only for delegations that selected one of the five options.

How did Orpo end up at Dorothea?

Orpo's delegation had prepaid a booking at the Ritz-Carlton Budapest. Days before the summit, the Hungarian side informed the Finnish mission that the original hotel was no longer available. The Finnish Prime Minister's Office, responding to a public information request filed by Helsingin Sanomat, confirmed that "Hotel Dorothea was also among the hotels recommended by the Secretariat, and the reservation was made based on availability." Eight rooms — Orpo plus seven advisers — were rebooked at Dorothea for a single night.

The Ritz-Carlton Budapest, now operating as Al Habtoor Palace Budapest following its January rebranding, issued a statement after the story broke: "We have no information regarding the circumstances under which the original booking was transferred to another hotel, nor do we understand the rationale behind this decision. We are actively investigating the matter to gain further clarity." The hotel is owned by Dubai-based Khalaf Al Habtoor, one of the world's richest individuals.

A diplomat from a participating country told Direkt36: "The Dorothea was recommended for numerous presidency-related events. I'm curious how much the son-in-law profited off the presidency."

How extensive is the Orbán family's footprint on the recommended list?

Four of the five recommended hotels carry direct or indirect links to the Orbán network:

• Hotel Dorothea — owned by Tiborcz's BDPST Group, opened November 2023 with 216 rooms, operates under Marriott's Autograph Collection brand.
• Budapest Marriott — its Czech owner put it up for sale in August 2024; BDPST Group is reported as a possible buyer. BDPST subsidiary BDPST Koncept, led by Ráhel Orbán (Tiborcz's wife and the prime minister's daughter), worked on branding for Marriott's other Budapest project in 2021.
• Matild Palace — declared a project of national economic interest by Orbán in 2016. Sold in 2014 by District V (then led by Antal Rogán, Orbán's current chief of staff) to Turkish company Özyer for €8.2 million.
• Ritz-Carlton / Al Habtoor Palace — received €28,000 from the government's Kisfaludy Program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BDPST Group secured loans totalling €105.2 million (HUF 40.14 billion) from MBH Bank, majority-owned by Lőrinc Mészáros, Orbán's longtime associate. Hotel Dorothea was designated a priority investment by the government in 2018.

Who managed the bookings?

Invoices issued to the Finnish government came not from the hotels but from Jet Travel Ltd, a Hungarian agency that handled accommodation contingents as a subcontractor. Jet Travel's majority owner and managing director is Zoltán Gál Pál, brother of Levente András Gál, a former Orbán-era state secretary.

What happens next?

Hungary is hosting the Conference of Speakers of the EU Parliaments on May 11–12, 2025 in Budapest. Registration documents obtained by Direkt36 list Hotel Dorothea first among the five-star options, again booked through Jet Travel. Hotel Dorothea declined to comment. Zoltán Kovács, the Hungarian government commissioner responsible for EU presidency events, did not respond. The European Council also declined to comment. Al Habtoor Palace Budapest has stated it will reach out to the Finnish mission in Budapest — a step that could produce further disclosure of how the redirect occurred and whether other delegations faced similar treatment.