The vicinity of the hotel includes the Shahbag roundabout, the Suhrawardy Udyan, Ramna Park, the Dhaka Club, the University of Dhaka, BSMMU, BIRDEM Hospital, the Bangladesh National Museum and official state guest houses.

[1] The hotel played host to many important political events in the run up to the independence of Bangladesh, including negotiations on the transfer of power after the 1970 elections.

During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, it was declared a neutral zone by the International Red Cross.

[2] Many buildings in its surrounding neighborhoods were targeted by the Pakistani military, including newspaper offices and university halls.

[5] In 2013, it was announced that InterContinental Hotels would re-assume management of the state-owned property, following a major renovation.