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The Suite
Life
Czech Mate
Sophia Banay
Overview
Stayed in a Corinthia hotel yet? Chances are
you will soon.
 Long
a reliable standby for European and African
business travelers, the Malta-based Corinthia Group
owns or manages 20 properties internationally. But
because of significant private Libyan investment in
the company, American citizens were subject to
criminal penalties administered by the Office of
Foreign Assets Control if they spent money
there--or at any property connected to Libyan
business interests--during the Libyan trade
embargo.
Since the elimination of commercial sanctions
against Libya last year, however, Corinthia has
been making an eager play for American business
travelers and the expense-account dollars they
bring with them. One big thing in Corinthia's
favor? Four- and five-star properties with
extensive business facilities, in places like
Libya, Gambia and Togo: not popular destinations on
the list of most American hotel companies.
Of course, Prague isn't exactly lacking in
accommodation options. Like Venice, it is a city
full of boutique hotels--perfect for families,
couples or vacationing retirees. But unlike Italy,
the Czech Republic is also an up-and-coming
business destination, ranked No. 7 on a survey,
done by Ernst & Young this summer, of the most
attractive countries for foreign investment. The
Czech Republic joined the European Union in 2004,
and this, along with a location almost exactly in
the middle of Europe, makes Prague an ideal
location for regional meetings.
Executive Club Suite: Where the Prague power
players stay.
So when employees of Dell (nasdaq: DELL - news -
people ), McKinsey & Co., or Nortel Networks
(nyse: NT - news - people )--all international
companies with offices in Prague--find themselves
planning conferences or retreats, they are looking
for more than charming hotels located at the end of
cobbled cul-de-sacs, with views of Prague Castle
across the Vltava River. They need hotels with
up-to-date and effective business facilities,
efficient staff and plenty of dining and
entertainment options for blowing off steam between
meetings.
That's where a stay in the Corinthia Towers
Hotel comes in. Located 15 minutes by Metro or taxi
from the picturesque Old City, the hotel is remote
enough and in a quiet enough neighborhood to be the
perfect spot for rounding up the wagons and hashing
out forecasts or long-term strategy. But at 25
stories high, you aren't sacrificing a view. Many
of the conference rooms (the Bellevue, in
particular) offer commanding views over the Prague
cityscape, and you can in fact see the spires of
Vysehrad in the distance. Old-Prague atmosphere in
a very new-Prague hotel: What better way to
experience the city?
Swim laps 25 stories above ground.
Hotel Particulars
The Corinthia's 544 guest rooms were fully
renovated in 2003, with new carpet installed, the
walls repapered, and furniture and bedspreads
replaced. Two Executive Club floors, which are
available for an additional nightly charge but
offer separate check-in, a private lounge and
office facilities, are popular with businesspeople
away from the office. The majority of the hotel is
smoking, but a non-smoking floor can be reserved,
as can rooms with handicapped access.
There are over 17 fully equipped conference
rooms, many of which can be further subdivided for
greater privacy, or to block the natural light that
streams in the windows. As many as 1,000 people can
be accommodated for a conference or retreat. Modern
multimedia and communications systems are available
throughout, as is high-speed Internet access, and
any meeting--no matter how large or small--can be
fully catered. In fact, the Corinthia Towers Hotel
now hosts the monthly meetings of the American
Chamber of Commerce meetings in Prague.
On the 25th floor, the hotel pool's tall glass
walls offer dizzying views over the city. Guests
can reserve a time to play squash on the hotel's
courts--the very first in the Czech Republic--which
are also located on the 25th floor. In addition to
the sauna and steam room, massage therapy, aerobics
classes and time with a personal trainer in the
hotel's fitness center can all be arranged.
And if you're looking for a less healthy way to
unwind? The second-floor Casino VIP, offering black
jack, poker and roulette, is open from 8 P.M. to 4
A.M. every day, and is free of charge for guests
staying on the Executive Club floor. There's also a
karaoke machine, dartboard, pool and billiard table
available, if you're looking for a polite way to
show up your colleagues.
The hotel's location outside of the city center
means that touristy restaurants and hidden Czech
delights are out of reach for a quick lunch between
conferences. However, on-site dining options are
quite varied and include three themed restaurants:
Rickshaw is the most upscale, serving Asian fare in
a private dining room, which can be rented in its
entirety; Toscana, a larger Italian-style
restaurant, is located across the floor from
Rickshaw; and the American-style Beer & Bowling
Diner boasts a full range of Czech beers, a
four-lane bowling alley and an outdoor dining
terrace. Café Praha, adjacent to the
lower-level Lobby Lounge, serves homemade cakes and
pastries, with a view over Vysehrad valley.
If you need to arrive at your next meeting in
style, the hotel can arrange for limousine service
to shuttle you between venues or even across the
border into Poland or Germany. Sightseeing tours,
babysitting, flower delivery, car washes and
services at the on-site salon and hairdressers can
all be booked through the concierge.
Finally, the enormous Prague Conference Center,
connected to the hotel by a public walkway, makes
the Corinthia Towers Hotel a natural venue for
conferences attracting a large, international
crowd.
Ready, set, spa. Should You Stay
Here?
 Of
Prague's business hotel options, the Corinthia
Towers Hotel is appealing for its size, location
and bevy of on-site facilities, but it's not as if
there aren't other business hotels available. The
cavernous Prague Hilton (nyse: HLT - news - people
), with over 700 rooms, is the largest hotel in the
city. The beautiful, 161-room Four Seasons Prague
(nyse: FS - news - people ) is a great option if
you're looking for a centrally located and
luxurious niche.
But the Corinthia brand is one worth getting to
know. Their locations throughout Eastern Europe and
Africa make them particularly well suited for
investors looking to do their work somewhere that
their dollar will go farther--and that goes for the
hotel accommodation itself. While the published
rack rate for a night at the Corinthia Towers
starts at $320, a quick call to the hotel reveals
seasonal specials as low as $190 nightly.
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easy..
Corinthia Towers Hotel
Kongresova 1, 140 69 Prague 4
Czech Republic
Phone: 011-420-261-191-111, Fax:
011-420-261-225-011
E-Mail:
towers@corinthia.cz
Web Site:
www.corinthia.cz or www.corinthiahotels.com
General Manager: Christian Grage
Closest Transportation:: Prague International
Airport (30 minutes)
Hlavni Nadrazi rail station (20 minutes)
Metro (next door)
Rates: Standard room rates start at $320 per
night.
Overview | Hotel Particulars | Should You Stay
Here?
Want to track news by this author or about this
industry? Forbes.com Attaché makes it
easy.
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