The Grand Hotel is one of Sopot’s defining architectural features. Sitting majestically overlooking the beach just to the north of the pier, the Grand, or Kasino Hotel as it was originally called, opened in 1927. The inter-war period marked a golden age for town, and the hotel was where the millionaire playboys of the age would party and bed down for the night following an evening of gambling their fortunes at the roulette and blackjack tables in the casino. The hotel managed to survive World War II despite much of the adjoining complex of buildings, including the casino, being destroyed. The Grand, now part of the Sofitel group, has once again assumed the mantle as one of the best hotels in Poland with a beautiful private garden and a private beach.