The Waldorf Astoria brand has been growing very nicely in recent years, opening properties in all kinds of major cities. Waldorf Astoria has started accepting reservations for one of its newest hotels, and it’s likely the most controversial one that’s in the pipeline.
Waldorf Astoria Minsk opening March 2026
The Waldorf Astoria Minsk, Belarus, is expected to open on March 3, 2026, and is now accepting reservation. For those not familiar, Belarus is a country that’s closely aligned with Russia, and which has been growing increasingly isolated from European Union countries in recent years, given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (though the country’s “leader” has also been trying to mend relations with the West).
The hotel will be located on the Svislach River, along Yanka Kupala Street, on a site previously occupied by the BelExpo exhibition center.
The Waldorf Astoria will feature 192 guest rooms and suites, and all kinds of amenities, including a full-service spa, a casino and nightclub, a fitness center and pool, and more. As far as dining goes, the hotel will have Marmo Steakhouse (the signature restaurant), Peacock Alley (the brand standard Waldorf Astoria bar), and Zolo (the breakfast restaurant).
Below you can find some renderings of the new property. They’re quite low quality, but better than nothing.
When it comes to the cost of staying here, I currently see rates starting at just over $400 per night if paying with cash, or 60,000 Hilton Honors points per night if paying with points.
This is an interesting addition to the Hilton portfolio
When it opens, the Waldorf Astoria will almost certainly be the most luxurious address in Minsk, as there’s currently no hotel of this caliber. Hilton has a significant presence in Belarus, as this will be the brand’s fifth property in the country. However, Hilton isn’t the only international hotel chain with properties in Belarus — for example, there’s also the Marriott Minsk, which looks excellent (well, for a “plain” Marriott).
In recent years we’ve seen many international hotel groups fully pull out of Russia. That doesn’t apply to Belarus in the same way, though it is interesting to note how Hilton is one of the hotel groups that continues to operate in Russia, and I can’t help but wonder if that contributed to the branding decision here.
What I find most noteworthy is that this hotel is now open for reservations and will welcome its first guests in a matter of months, but I haven’t really seen an official announcement about these plans. I suspect that’s intentional, as Hilton probably doesn’t want to highlight in the West that it’s expanding in Belarus.
I’m still curious about the background of this project. My guess is that the hotel was initially supposed to be branded as something else, but the partner pulled out of the project in light of circumstances. For example, I see some webpages about Grand Hotel Minsk that suggest this hotel was supposed to be a Viceroy, which I find to be an even stranger branding choice.
Bottom line
The Waldorf Astoria Minsk is expected to open in March 2026, and is now accepting reservations. This should be Belarus’ most luxurious hotel. The property looks great, though I can’t say that returning to Minsk is near the top of my travel list at the moment…
What do you make of the Waldorf Astoria Minsk?