It was built in 1925 to provide accommodation for passengers of the famous Orient Express train, which traveled between Paris and Istanbul.The winner was Germany's Otto Rehnig, whose original plans were modified by the Zagreb architect Dionis Sunko.The hotel was given the name "Esplanade," which in its original form has the meaning "field", probably because it was built on a vast plain to the west of the station.Many world famous personalities have stayed there, including Charles Lindbergh, Josephine Baker, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Woody Allen, Queen Elizabeth II, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Nixon, Emir of Qatar, Prince Albert of Monaco, Hillary Clinton, Nikita Khrushchev, Alfred Hitchcock, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Catherine Deneuve, Orson Welles, Richard Burton, Yves Montand, Cliff Richard, Iron Maiden, Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones, Ike and Tina Turner, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Guns n Roses, Depeche Mode, Sting, Orlando Bloom, Shakira, and many others.Esplanade Zagreb Hotel has a long list of awards and acknowledges for impeccable service, exceptional cuisine and sophisticated interior design based on reviews of experts and guests that it had the pleasure to accommodate.