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CORINTHIA
CORINTHIA HOTEL BUDAPEST
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J AN UA RY | 2 0 1 5

INTRO
Welcome words from the general manager, a
photo what we love, and an American jazz,
r&B, soul, funk and disco group.

INTERVIEW

PROGRAMS

NEWS

interview with Zoltn fekete, our hotels guest

relations supervisor on his duties and his
favorite hobbies.

plan your cultural programs with us!

We have listed a number of events
for you to enjoy.

the advertising film of india-based

multinational corporation jsW Cement, which
was recorded in Corinthia Hotel Budapest.

Welcome
FROM
THE GENERAL
MANAGER

dear guests,
> i trust you enjoyed the holiday season in
peace and tranquillity. After a wonderful
Christmas and hectic new year, life certainly
does not stop in january! We have new
objectives and face new challenges.
over and above the countless new services
introduced last year to enhance the guest
experience, we are preparing new things for
this year as well. We will be sure to keep
you fully informed about all these
developments as they happen.
in the wake of the mass of programs offered
the festive season we have a range of new
and colourful events coming up. our
themed sunday Brunches continue with
topics appropriate to the time of year.
After all the holiday feasting, slightly lighter
dishes would not go amiss, so we start the
year accordingly. our spoon & fork Brunch
has the focus firmly on soups and pastas.
following this a truly wintery, skiing mood
permeates the Brasserie & Atrium restaurant
at the Alpesi Brunch. Here you will find tasty
treats, decoration and a program that evokes
an Alpine htte milieu. later in the month
there is the chance to experience the
flavours of the scottish Highlands
accompanied by the skirl of the bagpipes.
finally, we present a fascinating Hungarian
folk custom from a unesCo World Heritage
town: the mohcs Bus festival.
throughout the month le Bar is serving not
only the royal Cocktail but dniels latest
discovery, the Walker sour, which blends the
historical interests of our bar manager and a
belief in our corporate values.
Another of our long serving staff is
introduced in this months edition:
Concierge Zoltn has a never-ending supply
of programme offers in and around
Budapest.
pter from our kitchen shares another
excellent recipe, and executive pastry Chef
Attila makes sure there is the perfect dessert
to accompany it.
i trust that you will enjoy the january edition
of our journal and you will find within its
pages programs that meet your needs and
interests.

thomas m. fischer | generAl mAnAger

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

> WILDLIFE AT THE HOTEL - join roy, the squirrel at our Brasserie & Atrium restaurant every sunday.

CorintHiA Hotel BudApest

in jsW CommerCiAl

ABout CorintHiA Hotel

BudApest
> Corinthia Hotel Budapest is an

award-winning member of the

Corinthia Hotels brand. the hotel
originally opened as the grand Hotel
royal in 1896 and was entirely
renovated and, in parts, rebuilt in
2003, following its acquisition by
Corinthia Hotels. Among its many
attributes, the hotel features a
majestic grand Ballroom and the
royal spa- itself an extensive
renovation of an original 19th
century spa which adjoined the
original hotel - that has once again
regained its rightful place as
Budapests most luxurious spa.

> the advertising film of india-based multinational corporation jsW

Cement, which was recorded in Corinthia Hotel Budapest, has just
been released. the commercial was shot by the Curious production
office, mumbai, with the assistance of Hungarian cameraman Csand
darvas.
When it came to selecting the venue for the film, potential locations
had to compete with new delhi, but finally the production company
decided on Budapest. preparations for shooting took 10 days, while
actual on-location filming took two days. scenes shot in Corinthia
Hotel Budapest feature prominently in the commercial.
they really liked the hotel for its classical and grandiose faade,
atrium and interiors, and in fact they liked Budapest in general for its
varied, european-style buildings and streets. this was the third
advertisement that ive filmed with them in Hungary this year, and we
are already planning the next one, said Csand darvas.
We are delighted that we could be a part of this project and we are
proud that, following the premiere of grand Budapest Hotel this year,
our hotel provides further inspiration and generates interest as a
venue for filming, said thomas m. fischer, general manager of
Corinthia Hotel Budapest.
further information and to see the commercial:
http://youtu.be/_evnhhnku4k

fAmous guest

KOOL AND THE GANG

guestBook

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the grand story

of CorintHiA Hotel BudApest
BY TIBOR MESKL, SENIOR MANAGER ON DUTY

The beginning - Chapter 3

> > the official opening of tHe grAnd
Hotel royAl took place on April 30
1896, the first menu dates from April 28
when the glCk brothers hosted the
hotels inauguration dinner. daily when i
stand in the middle of the new lobby, i
close my eyes for a moment and i try to
visualize how the Hotel looked in those
glorious days...
the hotel was a hospitality wonder world
of 350 rooms, with 450 beds, 100 offered
the luxury of a private bathroom. All
rooms were furnished with the finest
mahogany, while the bathrooms boasted
the latest english fittings. the rooms were
lit by 300 electric light bulbs. rising
rooms operated between the floors,
powered by steam engines. the elevators
were exotically decorated and a wagon of
tropical fruits and palm trees had arrived
from Cannes. on the ground floor there
were offices, a barber, a huge meeting
saloon, a fully serviced telephone
exchange with numerous telephone
booths and urban telephone connections
on every floor. the lounge was covered by
a huge bright glass-roof. the restaurant
and the coffee house offered elegant
terraces, also covered by glass. various
well-located reading rooms offered all the
major european daily and periodic
newspapers. presentation and meeting

rooms for travelers wanting to either

present their goods or hold a meeting in
privacy had, like all rooms, electric light
and gas heating. two large french courts
(cours dhonneurs) were located between
the three wings, one of them decorated as
a palm Court. the hotels huge state-ofthe-art kitchen was located on the other
side of the hotel, on Hrsfa street. there
the true sensation of the hotel was hidden
as well: on the first floor was a marvelous,
artistic ballroom with lovely carnival
scenes, murals painted by Zsigmond vajda.
over 200 employees looked after the
needs and well-being of almost 400
guests. specially employed interpreters
accompanied foreigners on their city
tours. Within no time the grand Hotel
royal became the epicenter of social
action on the northern shores of the
duna, the river danube. the beau monde
of pest met here every day at five oclock
for High tea. it was Hungarys first
afternoon tea, a brand new institution

very fashionable. later in the afternoon,

from may 10, 1896, eugene dupont
Hungarian representative of the lumiere
brothers, showed new movie programs in
the parlor of the hotel every week. the 50
denier (a french coin, equal to one twelfth
of sou) entrance fee was quite a large sum
at the time, but not enough to discourage
the citizens of pest to rush to the event.
the royal forged a reputation in the first
year of its existence as the venue of
moving pictures. the great interest
generated by the daily movie
performances at the royal laid the
foundations for Hungarys national movie
industry, which progressed faster in
Budapest than in other european cities.
the french miracle - as lumieres moving
pictures were nicknamed - ran until April
5, 1897, almost one year, over 300 days. it
brought over 10.000 people to the hotel.
the hotel was quickly and affectionately
nicknamed royal. A group of staff even
formed an association called the
royalists. Hungarian artists, journalists and
writers soon discovered the splendid
conveniences of living in a hotel. some
even moved in for good. Aristocrats left
their castles and country homes which
were expensive to maintain over the
winter months and rented entire suites
at the hotel for the cold season. Winter
was the period of exciting cultural life in
the city, while summers were exclusively
reserved for their country homes. Artists
who did not have permanent homes tried
to establish their nest at the hotel where
they could meet in the evening to discuss
common concerns. Actors and their
audiences, as well as Hungarys leading
artists, painters, sculptors and writers,
chose the coffee house of the royal. they
founded the royal Artists Club, a
veritable institution with its very own
table rules. if an ordinary guest wanted to
sit at a table next to the royalists
(royalistk), he had to come up with a
donation. this was paid into a sort of
pension fund, and should a member of the
club run low or out money he received a
support from this fund.
An interesting rule of the royal Arists
Club was that disputes between artists
were only accepted as dialogues. no more
than two members of the club could be
engaged in an argument at the same time.
this exchange of diverging or opposite
views was also held in public, with the
guests at the coffee house as an audience.
this year the restored and rebuilt grand
Hotel royal celebrates the 10th
anniversary of its reopening on April 30,
2003 as Corinthia Hotel. several historical
periods and chapters will be presented to
the readers in the coming issues to
commemorate this magnificent hotel.
To be continued

meet tHe stAff

INTERVIEW WITH

Zoltn Fekete
GUEST RELATIONS SUPERVISOR
How long have you worked at the hotel?
i joined the Corinthia team on 1 march 2007.
Which areas have you worked in, and where are you now?
i have been working as a concierge since joining the hotel.
What are your duties?
the concierges job is extremely varied, so i will just mention a few of our activities: collecting information on
sights-, and cultural events in the city, arranging city sightseeing tours-, and transfers, recommending and
booking restaurants and nightclubs, but we also arrange babysitters, tickets for a box at the opera, a doctor,
cruises on the danube and private jets. in other words, guests can turn to us with any question, extra request
or problem, and we will do everything we can to resolve the situation as quickly and professionally as possible.
What was your happiest experience in relation to the hotel?
in seven and a half years i have had very memorable moments. for instance, it was a great experience to meet
and chat with liverpool fC players, kool&the gang, grard depardieu, michel platini, deep purple and eros
ramazzotti. And yet, perhaps one of the most memorable times was in 2009, after felipe massas crash at
Hungaroring i kept contact with his cousins living in Brazil. At their request i arranged flowers for the hospital
and i personally kept them informed about the drivers conditions on several occasions. they were very grateful
for my help and once massa got better i received a letter of thanks from the family.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
i really like to get out into the open air. if there is time, i go touring, have garden parties and recently i started
running. in fact, another favourite memory of mine is associated with this and the hotel, in that last year and
again this year an excellent Corinthia running team was organized. not long ago, i also started singing in a
chorus.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
i really like travelling, going on excursions and playing sports, first and foremost football. i enjoy reading and i
collect stamps. thanks to the latter i developed a friendship with an American guest who, during his stay in
Budapest, was on the lookout for a rare Hungarian stamp and with my help he managed to track it down. We
have kept in contact ever since.
What is your favorite food and drink?
i enjoy culinary pleasures, i love trying new and exciting foods and beverages. But if i had to highlight just a
couple of things, then i would mention sea foods, delicious cakes and full-bodied villny red wines.
Do you have a favorite travel destination in Hungary and abroad?
in Hungary i prefer spa towns, and when traveling one of my favorite places is spain, but it was a fantastic
experience to go to Hong kong and luxury hotels in macau and experience that world. i would go back to the
philippines at any time...

> the 2015 Campari calendar has been completed.

its star is eva green and Corinthia Hotel Budapest

provides a backdrop to a considerable number of
the photographs. the versatile actress, who shot to
world fame in Bertoluccis film the dreamers (2003),
has since appeared in several other movies including
Casino royale and sin City, is the perfect choice as
the face of the campaign. Campari commissioned
photographer julia fullerton-Batten to take some of
the shots in Budapest in the Corinthia Hotel
Budapest, the fashion Hall, and in the mansion and
railway station of gdll. the venues are easily
identifiable, including the hotels grand Ballroom,
le Bar, the Atrium and the lobby in front of the
Hrsfa Hall.
the old inner city is extremely beautiful;
everything is like being in a wonderland. Although
earlier i said that the photo sessions were like
being on holiday, the truth is they were five very
intensive days. it was a great experience to work
there, said eva green.
it was an enormous pleasure for us that such a well
known, high quality global corporation as Campari
selected Corinthia Hotel Budapest as one of their
venues, and they worked together with such a truly
respected world star here. this is a great honour for
us that this excellent product is the fruit of three
outstanding qualities, said
thomas m fischer, general manager.

CorintHiA
pArtiCipAtes in
tHe CAmpAri
2015 CAlendAr
CAmpAign

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FOIE GRAS TERRINE TORCHON WITH

DARK CHOCOLATE AND FRESH COCONUT
ingredients
1000 g foie gras | 10 g salt | 1 g pepper (white or very fine black) | 2 g sugar | 10 ml tokaji
Asz, sweet Hungarian wine

recipe of
the month

tHe eXeCutive CHef

reCommends
> pter Bolyki joined the

hotel having already

established himself as a highly
skilled professional in a
number of countries. He had
been working for Hapag lloyd
ms Hanseatic, regent seven
seas mariner, palais Auersperg
and the Adventure Catering
and schnbrunn orangerie.
We invite you to cook with
us and try pter's favorites

prepArAtion
pull apart the lobes and remove as many veins from the foie gras as possible. remove
any sinew or membranes from the outside of the foie gras. put the foie gras in a baking
dish and cover with milk. Combine the salt, pepper, sugar. sprinkle the combined
seasoning over the foie gras. press the foie gras into a container in an even layer 2 cm
to 2.5 cm thick. pour the tokaji Asz wine over the foie gras. press a piece of plastic
directly against the foie gras so as little air as possible is in contact with it. refrigerate
overnight. drain and rinse the foie gras, remove it from the container and let it rest for
an hour at room temperature (it will be easier to work with). place it on a piece of
parchment paper (best) or plastic wrap (will suffice) in the form a loaf about 16 x 8
centimeters. roll the foie gras into a log, twisting and squeezing the ends of the
parchment paper or plastic to help compact the foie gras. An hour later unwrap the foie
gras, discard the paper or plastic and transfer the log to a piece of cheesecloth about 30
x 60 centimeters. place the foie gras on the short end of the cheesecloth. roll it to
force the foie gras into a compact log again. using butchers twine, loop a length of
string around your index finger. With the same hand, hold one end of the cheesecloth
tightly and wind the string around the end of the foie gras. Continue wrapping the
string about 0.5 cm into the foie gras, this will help force the foie gras to compress into
a tight roll and tie it off. repeat the procedure on the other end. tie a few ties along
its girth for extra support. in a wide pot, simmer enough stock or water to completely
submerge the foie gras. prepare an ice bath. place the torchon into gently simmering
liquid for 90 seconds. immediately remove the torchon to the ice bath to cool, 5 or 10
minutes. the foie gras will be loose in the cloth. make it compact again by compressing
it in a second cloth (leaving the first one on). roll it as tightly as possible. twist and tie
the ends of the towel with a string and hang the torchon from a shelf in the refrigerator
overnight. unwrap, slice and serve or cut slices with a ring mold. serve with dark
chocolate and fresh coconut.

spoon & fork BrunCH

pastas and soups are the perfect way of getting
back into shape after the holidays. All that is
needed to enjoy is a spoon and a fork!
loCAtion: Brasserie & Atrium restaurant
dAte: january 11, 12:00-16:00
priCe: Huf 8,900 per adult, 50% discount for
children between 6 and 14 years old and
complimentary for children under 6.
> if you overindulged over the festive seasoned, we would like to let
you know that the low-carb craze is not on its way out! just about
every cuisine on the planet has traditional pasta dishes and now you
have the chance to sample at least 15 different varieties, while we
serve soups from the trolley. pasta making tools are set out for
grown-ups while children can build pasta bridges or make pasta
jewelry in the kids Corner.

Alpen BrunCH
Whats this? snowfall in Corinthia Hotel Budapest!!
Well, the Alpen Brunch will certainly give that
impression as the Alps move to Hungary!
loCAtion: Brasserie & Atrium restaurant
dAte: january 18, 12:00-16:00
priCe: Huf 8,900 per adult, 50% discount for
children between 6 and 14 years old and
complimentary for children under 6.
> Weve really gone to town on this one and recreated an Alpine scene
in central Budapest. Waiters wearing tirol folk costumes serve schnapps
from the trolley, theres an exhibition of skiing and Alpine sports, mulled
wine to keep off the chill, harmonica and alpen horn music and a
mouth-watering range of local food: speckknodel, wiener snitzel, tirol
potato soup and tirol grstel. the feeling is so authentic youll want to
ski home!

sCottisH BrunCH
the scots know a thing or two about hospitality
and charm. sample hearty haggis and heart-warming
scotch whisky to the stirring sound of live bagpipes.
loCAtion: Brasserie & Atrium restaurant
dAte: january 25, 12:00-16:00
priCe: Huf 8,900 per adult, 50% discount for
children between 6 and 14 years old and
complimentary for children under 6.
> A taste of things north of the border. on Burns night/day, our
scottish Brunch features fine food and beverages from scotland: beer
soup, hearty and warming haggis, whiskey marinated ribs, steaks, chicken
wings, and naturally a tasting session of the great whisky-producing
regions of the Highlands, lowlands, islay and Campbeltown. All this
northern feasting is enhanced with the unmistakable sound of the
bagpipes played live by scottish pipers.

Bus BrunCH

dessert by
the pastry
Chef
tHe CHef
reCommends
> Attila menyhrts goal is

to establish the best

confectionery in Hungary.
He rethought several wellknown desserts and
converted them to a
modern style preserving
tradition. let us introduce
you one of his latest
creations.

OPERA CAKE
ingredients metHod
1,200 g whipping cream
3,600 g white chocolate
30 g coffee
2 pcs gelatin leaves

gAnACHe
800 g whipping cream
800 g dark chocolate 55%

jAConde
600g per sheet

Coffee syrup
400 g espresso
70 g sugar
200 g ice

for the coffee Chantilly, bring the cream to a boil,

pour over the white chocolate and coffee and mix
well. Add the gelatin and let it rest overnight. Whip
it on the next day. to make the ganache, bring the
cream to a boil and mix with the chocolate.

to mAke tHe Coffee syrup,

mix the espresso with the sugar and add the ice. mix
it till the ice melts. Build the gateaux, layer
according to the following layout:
450g ganache | 900g coffee chantilly | 600g jaconde
| 900g ganache | 600g jaconde | 900g coffee
chantilly | 600g jaconde | glacer noir

immerse yourself in one of the most dramatic,

enduring traditions in Hungary: the Bus festival. A
mask is carved on the spot, there are regional
dances and revelry at every turn
loCAtion: Brasserie & Atrium restaurant
dAte: february 1, 12:00-16:00
priCe: Huf 8,900 per adult, 50% discount for
children between 6 and 14 years old and
complimentary for children under 6.
> one of Hungarys most enduring customs, steeped in tradition and mystery,
is the Bus festival where revelers, wearing fearsome-looking masks and shaggy
sheepskin coats, parade to the sound of rattles, and everyone enjoys a great
feast of the heartiest provincial fare. one story goes that the masks were to
worn to scare off occupying ottoman troops from mohcs in southern
Hungary, while another explanation is that they were believed to drive away
winter and herald the arrival of spring. Whatever, this Bus Brunch includes a
whole range of farm delicacies and fiery fruit brandy, a woodcarver shapes a
Bus mask during the meal and a girls ensemble performs regional dances.
for further information and bookings, please contact us on:
+36 1 479 4850 | Cuisine.BudApest@CorintHiA.Com
CorintHiA Hotel BudApest, erZsBet krt 43-49. 1073 BudApest,
HungAry - CorintHiA.Com/BudApest

tABle reservAtion And furtHer informAtion: +36 1 479-4800 or cuisine.budapest@corinthia.com facebook.com/corinthiahotelbudapest

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progrAms in jAnuAry
RECOMMENDED BY THE

CorintHiA Hotel BudApest

CONCIERGE TEAM
tams ungr
Chief Concierge

For further information and reservations, please contact the Concierge.

December is promising a wide range of programs besides the Christmas fever

ConCert
> the program of the palace of Arts will favor jazz lovers, being host to the jazz talent exchange
(january 9-11), taking advantage of the remarkably rich seam of talented jazz musicians in Hungary
to present the cream of the current crop with opportunities to introduce themselves to the
public.

ACtive progrAms
magic Bath in Budapest

rembrandt and the dutch golden Age, a large-scale exhibition to run in the museum of fine Arts
surveys the period of 17th-century dutch art, one of the golden ages of european culture. the
exhibition is built around rembrandt, the greatest master of the period, by whom 20 masterpieces
will be on display. the exhibition will showcase over 170 works by some 100 painters, of which 40
originate from the museum of fine Arts rich dutch collection and 130 paintings are contributed by
private and public collections, with the most important loaning institutions including the
rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the national museum in stockholm, the louvre in paris, the national
gallery in london, the getty museum in los Angeles, the metropolitan in new york, the uffizi in
florence and the prado in madrid. A further sensation of the exhibition is that in addition to the
significant number of works by rembrandt including the painting known as his earliest and his
last self-portrait visitors can also view three works by vermeer.

Are you plAnning

to visit us AgAin?
treat yourself with one of our tempting offers and create lasting
memories with Corinthia Hotel Budapest.
Your next adventure starts here

see more At: Corinthia.com/Budapest inspire me

tABle reservAtion And furtHer informAtion: +36 1 479-4800 or cuisine.budapest@corinthia.com facebook.com/corinthiahotelbudapest

photos by

eXHiBition

Corinthia Hotel Budapest, Julia Fullerton-Batten (Campari calendar), Shutterstock: Featureflash , Sandra Cunningham, Sofiaworld, Inara Prusakova

> Budapest nightlife is special with the magic Bath party series every saturday night in january.
this is indeed a one of a kind spa party (sparty), in the City of Baths. the location in january is
lukcs Baths, every saturday the thermal bath turns into a crazy party venue with laser show, dj,
cocktails, beers, mismatching bikinis!
ice skating in Budapest
if you are looking for a fun activity in Budapest in january, ice skating is the one. there are several
ice skating rinks in Budapest but certainly the recently fully renovated City park ice rink is the
best of all.
its a traditional winter experience for Hungarians and tourists alike. this ice rink was open for all
in december 1876 and since then it has been for generations a favorite winter activity. the City
park ice rink is considered europe's largest and one of the oldest outdoor ice skating rinks. At
night, the lights, the music and the beautiful views of the romanesque, gothic, renaissance and
Baroque vajdahunyad Castle make ice skating in the City park a magical experience.