the most modern that Prague could offer at the time<\/strong>. People still tell the amusing story that the name Parkhotel came about simply because construction workers used to go to the nearby Stromovka park to rest. \ud83d\ude09 The building’s architecture is still highly valued today and looks majestic from the moment you approach it from the Veletr\u017en\u00ed pal\u00e1c across the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBetween 1993 and 1994, the building underwent a rather insensitive reconstruction, but fortunately around 2013 new owners took it over and decided to invest about one hundred million Czech crowns (around \u20ac4 million). By 2015, they managed to carefully restore the hotel and even invited the original authors Edel and \u0160r\u00e1mkov\u00e1 to participate, so the lobby could return to its elegant modernist appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2016, the building changed hands again, followed by extensive reconstruction into the current Mama Shelter<\/strong> with an investment of about 12.6 million euros. Monument conservators closely monitored all the work, so the building’s exterior character remained preserved, and the Prague branch opened in the summer of 2018 (officially on July 9). Today you’ll find 238 rooms that combine the original architecture with modern playful design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Arabela: Where Rumburak Stayed<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThe former Parkhotel in 2012. Photo: Aktron, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFor me, this place has another nostalgic dimension that will probably please anyone who grew up watching television fairytales. At the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, the then-Parkhotel was used to film the series Arabela directed by V\u00e1clav Vorl\u00ed\u010dek<\/strong>. The building played a luxury hotel where Rumburak and Blekota stayed during their trip to the human world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tRumburak and Blekota at the Parkhotel reception (Arabela, \u00a9 Czech Television, source: filmovamista.cz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf you love the series, you probably remember the sixth episode called Petrovo zmizen\u00ed (Peter’s Disappearance), where this scene takes place. Rumburak, played by Ji\u0159\u00ed L\u00e1bus, sets off with Blekota to find Arabela, and shortly after, King Hyacinth and the wizard Vigo descend the wide staircase into the hall, played by Vlastimil Brodsk\u00fd and Ji\u0159\u00ed Sov\u00e1k<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tKing Hyacinth and Vigo in the hotel hall, episode 6 Petrovo zmizen\u00ed (Arabela, \u00a9 Czech Television, source: filmovamista.cz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn the series, on Rumburak’s advice, the reception then calls orderlies from the asylum for them. It’s a somewhat strange feeling to walk through places<\/strong> where these television legends once walked, and the building also appeared in the 1977 comedy Co\u017e takhle d\u00e1t si \u0161pen\u00e1t (What About Some Spinach).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Why Darth Vader Is in Mama Shelter<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWhen you arrive in your room and want to turn on the bedside lamp, you might be slightly surprised to see a plastic mask staring at you instead of an ordinary lampshade. These masks of famous pop culture characters are actually a signature element of the entire Mama Shelter brand<\/strong>, which they’ve kept since opening their first Paris branch in 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe brand uses this joke to break the classic hotel boredom, and over the years their lamps have featured Batman, Superman, King Kong, Master Yoda, Chewbacca, and Bugs Bunny. Prague’s Darth Vader from Star Wars therefore has no special local reason<\/strong> for being here; they simply brought him as part of their playful identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\nYou might almost think it’s some subtle sci-fi reference to Rumburak’s magic, but it’s just an amusing coincidence, because it’s a global playful design element<\/strong>. Its only goal is to put a smile on your face when you arrive. \ud83d\ude01<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Rooms: Details, Jokes, and the Feeling They Think About You<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tIn our room, a large mirror with a black chalkboard surface on the wall was waiting for us. Someone had written a personal message in pink chalk: “MAMA \u2665 Lukas, Lucie and Jonas”<\/strong>, and that’s exactly the kind of nice welcome that immediately puts you in a better mood, and yet it’s a small thing that makes you feel welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe centerpiece of the room was a large bed with distinctive dark wooden paneling, from which the already-mentioned bedside lamps peeked out. Darth Vader watched over us from one side and Bugs Bunny from the other, which beautifully illustrates the contrast between elegant wood and childish plastic masks on which the whole thing is built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>What You Can Look Forward to in Your Room (and What Children Get)<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tOn the table we found a beautifully arranged fruit bowl<\/strong> with an apple and grapes. Next to it stood a prepared coffee maker with water, and a TV hung on the wall for evening relaxation. By the window, a cozy armchair with a mustard-yellow cushion complemented the space, where you could settle in nicely with a book and just gaze outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor Jon\u00e1\u0161ek, they had a travel cot ready, and I was really pleased that a play mat and crayons<\/strong> were waiting for him in the room. Our room also had a cozy living area with a large red corner sofa<\/strong> and floral cushions, accompanied by a stylish retro lamp with beads and tassels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>View and Bathroom<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFrom our floor, we had a fantastic view across the rooftops of Hole\u0161ovice<\/strong> over Prague, and because dramatic clouds were chasing by, it was a beautiful sight. The bathroom was very modern and clean. On the marble countertop sat two elegant bowl-style sinks<\/strong>, above which a large backlit mirror shone, and the whole thing was complemented by simple white tiles with black grout and prepared toiletries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Atmosphere and Design: A Hotel That Doesn’t Take Itself Seriously<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThe interiors of Mama Shelter Prague were designed by Jalil Amor, who previously collaborated with Philippe Starck. The whole brand is based on being a hotel where locals also like to come<\/strong>, and they’ve succeeded, because the spacious lounge feels like one large and somewhat eccentric living room.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThanks to the glass walls, there’s plenty of light, and on the patterned carpets you’ll find cream sofas and emerald green velvet armchairs. All around stand display cases full of books and various curiosities that you can explore endlessly, and there are also coffee tables made from stacked books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Mama](\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/mama-shelter-praha-restaurace.jpg\" "\\"\\"")