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INTRO
awards we are proud of, a photo what we love and a prominent guest whom we have hosted recently.

INTERVIEW
Interview with adrienn vrkzi Cost Controller on her duties and favorite pastime.

PROGRAMS
plan your programs with us! We have listed a number of events for you to enjoy. also, we suggest you try our restaurant Rickshaw.

CSR
Corinthia hotel Budapest sets example by supporting ill children in cooperation with the Magic lamp foundation.

Welcome
FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER
> july is the month of

summer fun, leisure and relaxation. In addition to the open-air festivals in Budapest, there are many programs enriched with culinary experiences that I can whole heartedly recommend. This month I would like to draw your attention to our Rickshaw Restaurant, a paradise of asian foods and flavours. Its Oriental ambience and remarkable culinary scope promise a unique experience for connoisseurs of Southeast asian dining. I would also like to take this opportunity to recommend fascinating articles on, for instance, the latest chapter in the century-old history of our hotel and the interview with adrienn, one of our back-of-house members of staff, who talks about what it means to her to work in the hotel, and her personal experiences over the years. In july, the Royal Spa has a summer skin rejuvenation treatment on offer that is sure to help both body and mind stay refreshed even on the hottest summer days. Together with the varied Budapest programs, it is also well worth looking at the exhibition spanning the more than 100 years of history of our hotel. You will find the exhibition in the lower lobby area. I really hope that the july edition of our newsletter sparks your imagination, and that you find programs that meet your needs and interests.

Thomas M. fischer | gENERal MaNagER

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

> The magnificent lobby, a central meeting point and the heart of our hotel.

guestBook
Tanita Tikaram
BRITISh pOp/fOlK SINgER-SONgWRITER

aBOuT CORINThIa hOTEl BudapEST


> Corinthia hotel Budapest is an award-

OpEN daY
> This year Corinthia hotel Budapest commemorates the 10th anniversary of its reopening. To mark the occasion we are staging a series of commemorative celebrations throughout the year. The most recent event was the hotels Open day held recently. On this special day, the general public was invited to view the hotel. during Open day there were guided tours led by members of staff. visitors had an opportunity to learn about the rich history of the hotel in our recently inaugurated exhibition, glimpse into one of our finest suites, discover exactly what treatments are available in the fantastic Royal Spa vIp room, get a sense of turn-of-the-century grandeur in the magnificent Ballroom, and experience the delicacies that are on offer in our restaurants. visitors were also welcomed to sample artisan delicacies at the arts&Crafts festival organized in the atrium II Restaurant on Open day.

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.

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The grand Story


Of CORINThIa hOTEl BudapEST
BY TIBOR MESKL, MANAGER ON DUTY

MEET ThE STaff


INTERVIEW WITH

The beginning - Chapter 6


> On june 28, 1914 two shots fired in the city of Sarajevo brought

Adrienn Vrkzi,
COST CONTROLLER
How long have you worked at the hotel? What areas have you worked in so far, and what are you doing now? I started working at the hotel as a trainee, was appointed Cost Clerk on 1 april 2004, and have worked in my current position, as Cost Controller, since june 2007. My main duties include keeping an inventory register, supervising inventory turnover and the storage areas, as well as organizing and implementing audits. I constantly monitor food and beverages expenditures, and participate in drawing up accounts necessary for the end-ofmonth financial closure of the books. If requested, my department works with f&B to draft menu calculations. When new menus are introduced, I update the restaurant software (Micros) database. Youve been here a long time. What is your favourite memory? Of course, its very difficult to select just one single event from the many great memories Ive accumulated, but to this day I still smile when I remember a utensils inventory of 7-8 years ago, when with just half an hour to go before the morning start we were still standing in the middle of a mountain of glasses and porcelain in the restaurant, trying desperately to account for the different items and packing them away in their right places. Naturally, weve learnt a lot from mistakes like this, but on that particular morning the situation was saved only by the effective cohesion of those present.It was impossible for the guests arriving just a few minutes later to even suspect what the scene was like earlier, as they sat down to eat breakfast in the accustomed orderly circumstances. What do you enjoy doing in your leisure time? I always try to set aside time for sports, and a few years ago I too fell in love with the new Zumba craze. as well as that, I am currently having a go at learning the basics of Cuban salsa, but I also love reading either on the commute to and from work or in the evening. Since I come from Bkscsaba, I like shaking off the stresses and strains of big city life by spending as many weekends as I can at home with my family and my dog.

an end to a great time in the life of Budapest and the grand hotel Royal; a time, which was by many, regarded as a carefree period. a Bosnian Serb assassinated archduke franz ferdinand, the heir to the austrian throne. Within days austria-hungary presented Serbia with an ultimatum that made war inevitable. hungarys prime Minister, Count Istvn Tisza, initially opposed the ultimatum but changed his mind when germany announced its support for austria-hungary. The Elizabeth Ring road was crowded with bands, playing military music and cheerful patriotic demonstrators expecting a quick, easy victory after the declaration of war. By late august all great European powers were at war. The first World War, the great War, had begun. although the war was fought on foreign soil, hungary was ill-prepared for the fight. The countrys armaments were obsolete, and its industries and infrastructure were not equipped for a war economy. In October 1915, for the first time in the history of the grand hotel Royal, balls and concerts at the hotel were cancelled. The grand ballroom became the apollo Cinema. as before, thousands of people came to the hotel, this time seeking diversion from the devastating news of the war. Movies showed there twice daily. By the end of 1915, hungary felt the full impact of the war. Inflation ran rampant, wages were frozen, food shortages developed, and the government banned the export of grain, even to austria. The breakfast room of the grand hotel Royal functioned as an illegal marketplace. a newspaper reported: There is a big bill on the door with the sentence: Only hotel guests are allowed to take a seat in this room. The warning is totally inefficient, but it is not without any sense because of the police. There is a mass of people dealing with several commodities in this room. Business is just as busy in the coffee house of the Royal as it was in the peacetime on the commodity exchange. They do business, sell and buy items in very large quantities. This commodity exchange has no supervisory board or council. They are only afraid of the police. They always look at the door with one eye, because if the police comes, everybody has to sit down at the tables pretending they are having breakfast. franz joseph died in Novenber 1916, and Karl Iv became the new King of hungary. Karl insisted that hungarians expand voting rights. By 1917 the hungarian government was slowly losing domestic control in the face of mounting popular dissatisfaction caused by the war. Of the 3.6 million soldiers hungary sent to war, 2.1 million did not return. To make matters worse, germanys unrestricted submarine warfare and u-boat attacks on american mechant ships forced president Woodrow Wilson to ask the permission of Congress to declare war on germany. hence, on april 6, 1917, america entered the great War. By 1918, hungarys farms and factories were producing only half of their 1913 output. The war-weary hungarian people had abandoned any realistic hope of victory. despite all troubles and economic hardship, a new hotel building rose in Budapest, on the other side of the danube. during the last two years of the war, the hotel gellert was built and completed. It opened on September 24, 1918. Today it is together with the grand hotel Royal one of the great legacies of grand Budapest hotel history. after the outbreak of the war the two psychoanalysts Sndor ferenczi and Sigmund freud exchanged 828 letters between vienna and Budapest. ferenczi became freuds closest and most important colleague: You are now really the only one who still works beside me, freud wrote to ferenczi on july 31, 1915. after all, he added, the others are militarily paralysed. While freuds closest viennese colleagues were all at the front, ferenczi was first stationed in the peaceful garrison town of ppa, and then he worked at the Mria valria hospital in Budapest. On October 31, 1918 the unrest that had been simmering in Budapest for some time erupted into outright revolution. The new government dissolved parliament, pronounced hungary an independent republic with Karolyi as provisional president, and proclaimed universal suffrage as well as freedom of the press and assembly. The new party leaders first headquarters were in the grand hotel Royal. On November 7, 1918, ferenczi wrote from the grand hotel Royal to freud in vienna: Your prophecy about our imminent proletarianisation has come true but the magnates and the capitalists are now hovering in the same danger. If Bolshevism gets its way in germany, then the collapse of the entire civilisation of the world is unavoidable france, England, america, and japan will also get their turn, and an epoch of brutalization and infantilization will confront the world. We are living poor in a great time! This year the restored and rebuilt grand hotel Royal celebrates the 10th anniversary of its reopening as Corinthia hotel. Several historical periods and chapters will be presented to the readers in the coming issues.
To be continued

CORINThIa hOTEl lONdON


> Opened in april 2011, Corinthia hotel london is Corinthia hotels flagship property rated amongst londons finest five star luxury hotels. housed within a victorian building, 294 rooms (including 36 suites and 7 penthouses) offer sweeping views across londons most popular landmarks. Corinthia hotel london provides unrivalled world-class luxury with superb ground floor offerings including the restaurant, The Northall serving the best in British produce throughout the day; the speciality seafood restaurant Massimo Restaurant & Oyster Bar, and the musically inspired Bassoon Bar. Corinthia london is also home to the flagship ESpa life at Corinthia, a next-generation spa housed across four floors; and its very own daniel galvin hair salon. The hotel boasts the largest room sizes in london, original restored victorian columns and tall windows that let in swathes of natural light. Cutting edge technology in rooms and meeting rooms allow for recording, mixing and broadcasting from dedicated media rooms. Corinthia london is a 21st century grand hotel located in the heart of london, created by experts with a passion for craftsmanship and an understanding of world-class service. Corinthia london is the ninth of Corinthia hotels collection of five-star hotels founded by the pisani family of Malta.

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Recipe of the Month


ThE ChEf RECOMMENdS
> joel Khalil, Executive chef of Corinthia hotel Budapest joined the

Royal Spa
ExpRESS TREaTMENT Of ThE MONTh
> MaRINE OR BROWN SugaR BOdY SCRuB (30 min huf 13,000) The aromatherapy and the sea salt or brown sugar crystals calm the body, relax the muscles and smooth the skin for a natural healthy glow. Your whole body will receive a rejuvenating sense of well-being.

hotel having already established himself as a highly skilled professional on a number of continents. his last appointment was the position of the Executive chef of Sofitel Macau in asia and prior to that he was working in dublin, Switzerland, Tel aviv, london, Brunei and hong Kong. his international career experiences have inspired him to create some exciting, easy-to-make recipes. We invite you to cook with us and try joel's favorites.

joel Khalil | Executive Chef


BENEfITS Of ExfOlIaTION Exfoliating your body can improve the results of your skin care routine and help rejuvenate your skin, it doesnt matter if you have dry, normal, oily or sensitive skin. The process of exfoliation rids the body of any dry, dull skin by removing dead skin cells from the surface of the epidermis. By removing these dead cells, exfoliation can help keep pores from becoming clogged and leave skin with a refreshed and clean feeling. In addition to the immediate visual benefits of exfoliation, the removal of dead skin cells speeds up the skin renewal process, allowing smoother, healthier skin cells to take their place.

RICKShaW

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB CRUMBLE


INgREdIENTS METhOdE
5 nice stalks of rhubarb 500g strawberries 1000ml water 500g sugar 450g powdered almonds 375g brown sugar 375g flour 10g salt dice the rhubarb finely. Make a syrup with the water and sugar. When it comes to a boil, add the rhubarb for 30 seconds, then refresh immediately in ice water. dice strawberries and combine with the rhubarb; set aside. using your fingers, rub the cold butter into the almond powder, brown sugar, flour and salt. Spread the mixture over a baking sheet and place in a 210 C oven until golden, about 8 minutes. place a little almond powder in the bottom of small ramekins, add the strawberry-rhubarb mixture, then sprinkle the previously baked crumble on top. just before serving, place the crumbles into a 180 C oven for 4 to 8 minutes.

> The Rickshaw Restaurant offers world class quality and fantastic gastronomic experiences reminiscent of the far East in the Corinthia hotel Budapest. Chef Yang Zhi jun dazzles the restaurants customers with traditional asian flavours prepared exclusively with quality ingredients meeting the highest expectations. The environment, evocative of the enchanting atmosphere of the far East, endows lovers of asian cuisine with an unrivalled five-star culinary journey not to be missed.

OpENINg hOuRS: Tuesday-Saturday 6 pm-11 pm MORE INfORMaTION aNd TaBlE RESERvaTION: Extension 7855 | T +36 1 479 4855 | cuisine.budapest@corinthia.com

advICE
This crumble can be served with vanilla or mascarpone ice cream or raspeberry sorbet.

OuR OffER
ROYal COCKTaIl
> acquaint yourself with the hotels

very latest cocktail, into which we have poured out heart and soul. This unique creation, the nobly named Royal Cocktail, is being served in le Bar. The recipe is attached to this unique drink and you can try making your own Royal at home!

OpENINg hOuRS: Every day from 10:30 until 1:00 TaBlE RESERvaTION: Tel: +36 1 479 4880, E-mail: lebar.royal@corinthia.com

TaBlE RESERvaTION aNd fuRThER INfORMaTION: +36 1 479-4800 or cuisine.budapest@corinthia.com facebook.com/corinthiahotelbudapest

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pROgRaMS IN julY
RECOMMENDED BY THE

BOCK BISZTRO
> Erzsbet krt 43-49, 1073 Budapest, next to the main entrance One of the first examples came in 2004, after the renowned Hungarian winemaker Jozsef Bock joined forces with a local chef, Lajos Biro, to open Bock Bisztro, a clubby wine bar with an ambitious menu that mixed updated favorites from the Hungarian repertory with imported flavors (wasabi) and ingredients (calamari). That effort proved so successful that the men opened a second Bock across the Danube River and more recently one in Copenhagen as well. - The New York Times 2013 -

CORINThIa hOTEl BudapEST


CONCIERGE TEAM
ThE fIRST MONTh Of SuMMER IS all aBOuT OuTdOOR fESTIvalS Tams ungr Chief Concierge

For further information and reservations, please contact the Concierge.

fESTIvalS ...
> The vajdahunyadvr Summer Music festival, july 11 through august 8, is an event of classical music, swing, klezmer and traditional hungarian gypsy music. The courtyard of vajdahunyad Castle, built in Romanesque, gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles, provides a beautiful. romantic backdrop for this annual event. performances are scheduled for Mondays and Thursdays and start at 8:30 pm. This year's closing concert on august 8th will be performed by the famous 100-Member gypsy Orchestra. > july 30 through august 14, Castle hill is home to a series of dance nights organized by the National dance Theatre featuring folk dance, flamenco, tango and modern dance. performances start at 8:30 pm in the Carmelite Courtyard, located next to the National dance Theatre. The july performances include modern ballet, bolero and argentinian tango Budapest dance Theatre: Imagine and argentinian Tango dance group: Casa del tango. > as part of the Summer Night Concerts at the hilton Budapest dominican Court, classical and operetta evergreens will be performed by the Chamber Ensemble of the 100 Member gipsy Orchestra on the 18th of july, featuring Barbara Bdy and Kroly peller. The unique formation brings together the leading primases and best musicians of the main orchestra, generating an outstanding quality and atmosphere. > The Sun goes down is a mini music festival dedicated to electronic music, on july 26 through 28, at the Chachacha Kabri on the Margaret Island. Electronic music fans are invited to enjoy carefully selected pieces of quality music in this genre. > On july 19 through 21, the Budai frccs and BBQ festival opens its gates on the friendliest side of the danube riverbank, on the Kopaszi dam. The summers starting event promises BBQ and frccs with jazz performances and other programs. The location is ideal for a weekend picnic, so everyone is encouraged to bring only a blanket, everything else will be provided on the spot.programs for children include skill-developing plays and special sessions of candy crafts by Sweetfabric Budapest. > Budapest Summer festival celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Margaret Island Open-air Stage with theater performances for adults and children, musicals, dance shows and several concerts from june 15 through august 31. Major july programs include puccini: Madame Butterfly, lionel Bart: Oliver!, james Bond 60 concert show and Tams vsry and the Zoltn Kodly World Youth Orchestra charity concert.

OpENINg hOuRS: Monday - Saturday: 12:00 - 24:00, Sunday: Closed CONTaCT aNd TaBlE RESERvaTION: Tel: +36 1 321 0340, E-mail: info@bockbisztro.hu

MADCH THEATRE

only 2 minutes walk from Corinthia

hotel Budapest

MARY POPPINS BY DISNEY AND CAMERON MACKINTOSH


> The musical, which is based on p. l. Travers stories of the magic nanny and has received many awards since its 2004 debut, came to the stage of the Madch Theatre in September 2012. The secret to its success is the inimitable charm that transforms everyday events into a world of fairy tales both for adults and children, with the help of catchy well-known tunes, superb dance numbers and, of course, innumerable special effects and meticulous stage craft.

aNd ExhIBITIONS aNd faIRS

WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE THE DREAMS OF SICK CHILDREN COME TRUE

SuppORTINg ChIldREN
> Corinthia hotel Budapest believes that as well as guaranteeing maximum guest satisfaction, it is

equally important to act as a role model in the area of corporate social responsibility. at the end of 2012 we finalized a strategic cooperation agreement with the Csodalmpa (Magic lamp) Wish fulfilling foundation, now in its 10th year of operation. We have a common purpose: to help people in need. The Magic lamp Wish fulfilling foundation makes the wishes and hopes of children who suffer from life-threatening diseases come true, giving them unforgettable experiences and breaking the dull routine of hospital treatment. The foundation acting together with generous, supportive individuals and companies has been fulfilling wishes since november 2003, in which time it has made the dreams of around 2,000 seriously ill children come true. It is our intention to contribute to this worthy cause and brighten up the lives of needy children in 2013.

> The aim of the hungarian art photography in the New Millennium exhibition, held at the hungarian National gallery is to show the changes experienced in hungarian art photography in the period following the turn of the century, and to present the creative use of photography in hungarian art. The exhibition is intended to provide an answer to the theoretical questions by showing a series from each contemporary hungarian creator.

> growing into the top design event in

Budapest, awaiting the fashion crazed ones on the 7th and 21st of july - WaMp design market relocated itself to a more authentic and frequented downtown spot, vci utca 1.

TaBlE RESERvaTION aNd fuRThER INfORMaTION: +36 1 479-4800 or cuisine.budapest@corinthia.com facebook.com/corinthiahotelbudapest

photos by

FER-FILM STUDIO KFT., Sean Scott, www.imagesbyrajna.com, PIXELTASTER, Dvid Harangoz

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