abouT corinThia hoTelbudapesT> corinthia hotel budapest is an award-winningmember of the corinthia hotels brand. The hoteloriginally opened as the grand hotel royal in 1896and was entirely renovated and, in parts, rebuilt in2003, following its acquisition by corinthia hotels.among its many attributes, the hotel features amajestic grand ballroom and the ‘royal spa’- itself anextensive renovation of an original 19th century spawhich adjoined the original hotel - that has onceagain regained its rightful place as budapest’s mostluxurious spa.

> we proudly announce that corinthia hotelbudapest has been awarded as one of the besthotels in europe by the european finest hotelsorganization (efh). The award is commendationfor the hotel’s unique and exceptional qualitiesand high level of offers and services. out ofnearly 230 000 hotels in europe, only 70 arebeing presented this award by efh.european finest hotels is the first and onlyplatform incorporating a fine selection of thebest hotels in europe. This collection has beendrawn up by an independent body and refinedover the past two years after numerous consultations, site visits, data collection andinformation from travellers’reviews, tourismoffices and embassies in europe.‘The european finest hotel award is truly a globalrepresentation of genuine quality and corinthiahotel budapest is extremely proud to have beenselected for this title,’ said Thomas m fischer,general manager of the hotel.

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INTROawards we are proud of, a photo what we loveand a prominent guest whom we have hosted

not long ago.

INTERVIEWinterview with péter bolyki

executive sous chef on his fond memories ofcooking together with gérard depardieu.

PROGRAMSplan your programs with us! we have listed a

great number of events for you to enjoy. also,our 10th anniversary is coming up!

CSRcorinthia hotel budapest sets example

by supporting ill children in cooperation with the magic lamp foundation.

welcomeFROM THE GENERALMANAGER

> in april, corinthiahotel budapest is filledwith the invigoratingspirit of spring, a time ofawakening and renewal. This year is of particular

significance in the life of our hotel. as generalmanager of corinthia hotel budapest, which celebrates the 10th anniversary of its reopening in2013, i would be pleased if you too discoveredmore about the history of the hotel on this jubileeoccasion. we have put together a special exhibition to present our long and distinguishedpast, where a fascinating series of photographsallows you to glimpse some of the major events ofyears gone by. The exhibition formally opens onapril 25. on april 26, also within the framework ofour 10th anniversary series, we have arranged anevening banquet at which our guest of honour willbe mr alfred pisani, founder and owner of thecorinthia hotel chain. Then, on may 5, we plan avery special open day for everyone interested in abehind-the-scenes tour of the hotel. we continue our themed sunday brunchesthroughout april. every week the highly popularsunday programme commemorates topical eventsand anniversaries. our 10th anniversary brunch on april 28 has, naturally, particular importance, andaccordingly we have a few surprises in store forguests. spring renewal is also evident in the royalspa – the special rejuvenation treatment is particularly recommended. in addition to the numerous programs offered bythe hotel, we would also like to inform you aboutthe many opportunities available in wonderful, historical budapest.i sincerely trust that you enjoy the april edition ofour newsletter and find a program to meet yourparticular needs and interests.

Thomas m. fischer | general manager

guestbookcorinthia hotel receives european finest hotels award

PHOTO OF THE MONTH > The splendid ballroom is a monument to the rich history of the hotel, and also budapest.

french acTress caTherine deneuve

You have worked as Executive Sous Chef at

Corinthia Hotel Budapest since October 2008.

Before coming here, where did you work, and

what influenced you the most over the years?

i have been a chef since 1986, and i spent 15years working in austria. i have worked oncruise ships on a number of occasions, but ihave also worked in restaurants, a mansionhotel and at a catering company, yet thegreatest impact on me was during those yearsin austria. here, creativity was given a promi-nent role, and enabled me to show guests thetrue art of cuisine. i also have happy memo-ries of my time spent onboard a cruise liner,where we prepared meals for 1200 people infour different restaurants. i headed the ethnokitchen, where we were able to showcase thecuisines of the countries we were visiting. itravelled in south america, where i becamefamiliarized with many basic ingredients,fruits and vegetables that are unknown ineurope.

You were back in Austria again recently, on a

special gastronomy tour.

i spent two weeks at salzburg’s restaurantikarus in hangar-7 thanks to the assistance ofthe red bull hungary office. This remarkableplace surprises its guests with a very unusualconcept. each month, chefs from the world’sleading restaurants are invited to cook their

trademark prestige dishes for a whole month.when i was there, the guest was enriqueolvera, chef of the pujol restaurant in mexicocity. his marvellous 8-course menu and thehouse menu of the ikarus restaurant weretotally stunning. i tried such special delicaciesas tortilla and fresh turbot, celery and scallopceviche and bean tamales with sour creamespuma. as well as aquiring at the wealth ofnew ideas, my main aim was to learn as muchas i could from the chefs of the ikarus, pickingup their serving skills and acquiring the scienceof the compilation of dishes.

What was the event in the life of the hotel in

2012 that you look back on with the fondest

memory?

The actor gérard depardieu stayed with us forquite a while. it was a fantastic experience forme to meet him and to welcome him into thehotel’s kitchen to prepare one of his favoritedishes.

This year the hotel celebrates the 10th

anniversary of its reopening. How have you

prepared for this auspicious occasion?

we have put together a uniquely special menu,a compilation of courses through which guestsare guided all the way from the reopening tothe present day. however, i don’t want toreveal any more for the time being.

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WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE THE DREAMS OF SICK CHILDREN COME TRUE

supporTing children> corinthia hotel budapest believes that as well as guaranteeing maximum guestsatisfaction it is equally important to act as a role model in the area of corporatesocial responsibility. at the end of 2012 we finalized a strategic cooperation agreement with the csodalámpa (magic lamp) wish fulfilling foundation, now in its10th 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 routineof 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 ofaround 2,000 seriously ill children come true. it is our intention to contribute to this worthy causeand brighten up the lives of needy children in 2013.

corinthia hotel st petersburg> The five-star corinthia hotel st petersburg is the result of the renovation of historic 19th century buildings in the heart of st. petersburg on the city's main boulevard, nevsky prospect.retaining the classic facades, the interior was completely rebuilt offering a fine blend of art decoand modern business facilities. all of the major historical sites including the hermitage and thewinter palace, the alexander nevsky monastery, st.isaac's cathedral, and the admiralty are nearbyand easily accessible from the hotel, as are the major business districts. The hotel has everythingyou would wish for in a five-star hotel. 388 comfortable and elegant rooms, including 107 execu-tive rooms created within the framework of the hotel extension project. all rooms are equippedwith central air-conditioning and heating, sprinkler and smoke detector system, safe, mini-bar, hair-dryer and wi-fi, direct-dialing telephone with voice mail and satellite television. The restaurantsare universally recognized as being among the city’s finest. The stylish, bright & spacious imperialrestaurant overlooks nevsky prospect, while café vienna offers for coffee, pastries, desserts andlight snacks in the best viennese traditions. nevsky bar & lounge, offering a wide range of drinksand snacks, is the best place to unwind and relax after a busy day. The lobby bar serves tea, coffee,and an excellent choice of drinks and light snacks. The hotel has an extensive range of conferenceand banqueting facilities that can accommodate a wide range of events. The centerpiece of thehotel conference center is the grand ballroom, seating close to 500, which is the largest meetingspace of its kind in any five-star hotel in the city of st petersburg.

The grand storyof corinThia hoTel budapesTBY TIBOR MESKÁL, MANAGER ON DUTY

The beginning - Chapter 3

> look back in time to the glorious and glamourous days of the grand hotelroyal opening in 1896 when hungary celebrated the anniversary of the countrys„land-taking” by Árpád in the year 895. after a year delay finally the millenniumhas been celebrated and interesting historical buildings, monuments and bridgeshave been restored and created, amongst them the grand hotel royal. duringthis time and age the elizabeth boulevard grew at an astonishing speed andbecame the most elegant thorough fare in the city of budapest.

with all its bright new buildings this street looked fantastic. There were new theatres, restaurants,apartment blocks and even a spa. in 1886 the architect vilmos freund had built a luxurious ’bathinginstitution’ almost at the corner of Király street and the splendid elizabeth boulevard. The pool ofthat new institution , equipped with a machine generating waves, was the sensation of the town. it’s’treatment rooms’ contained steam and electric baths, a pneumatic chamber and a medical roomwith cold – water treatment. This spa was the meeting place for a select group of distinguishedbusinessmen. like a coffehouse, it was an ideal place to discuss important matters in privacy.

next to this spa was a large plot of land , still empty and unused. in 1894 a handful of hungarianentrepreneurs realised that a social centre the magnitude of the spa called for a nearby luxurioushotel. That same year a group of hoteliers established the „royal nagyszálloda részvénytársaság,”the royal grand hotel company’, with a registered capital of 1.2 million forint. The chairman of thisgroup of eminent gentlemen was frigyes glück, while members of the board included his brotherKároly and rezsô ray, the swiss-born hungarian architect.

in no time at all the grand hotel royal limited company bought the vast plot of land next to the’bathing institution’, the spa at erzsébet ring. The three lots of land carried the topographical num-bers 4769, 4770 and 4771. Together these sites made up the biggest building site - 31,500 squaremeters - on the entire boulevard, stretching from erzsébet ring to hársfa street, an area housing anold hospital and the former poorhouse of the budapest Trade association. both these buildingsabsorbed into the construction plans.

according to the old master plan a theatre was to have been built on this ground. The newlyformed company had a different thing in mind. They would build a monumental hotel and blocks offlats, following the drafts of their fellow board member, the architect rezsô ray. They had just onerequest: the hotel must be completed one day before the opening ceremony of the grand millennium exhibition, on april 30, 1896.

everything went according to plan. in 1895 the five-floor building was missing only the roof.meanwhile, the development of the surrounding city advanced at an astonishing speed. The number of inhabitants in the elizabeth city (seventh district) increased from 62,417 to 158,980 aroundthe turn of the century. The urbanisation of the city and the exodus of people from rural areas intothe capital accounted for this rise.

The grand hotel royal was the largest hotel in central europe. behind the neighbouring facade wasthe 1886 spa, which would be one day connected to the hotel.This year the restored and rebuilt grand hotel royal celebrates the 10th anniversary of itsreopening on the 30th of april, 2003 as corinthia hotel. several historical periods and chapters willbe presented to the readers in the coming issues to commemorate this magnificent hotel.

To be continued…

meeT The sTaffINTERVIEW WITH Péter Bolyki, EXECUTIVE SOUS CHEF

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our offers - sundaY brunchbrasserie & atrium restaurant • every sunday from 12:00 until 16:00 hourscosT of The sundaY brunch: adulTs huf 7900children up to the age of 14 years get 50% discount; free for children under the age of 6.

fools daY brunchdaTe: apr. 7. 12:00-16:00, brasserie restaurant

> we’ve turned things around a little bit for the fools day brunch. in fact,we’ve turned everything on its head! Your meal is cooked by chefs dressedas waiters and is served by waiters dressed as chefs, a jester pops upthroughout the hotel, and just wait till you see what we’ve done to thecocktails, and the muffins, and the exploding candies... crazy! but you’d benuts to miss it!!

big ben brunchdaTe: apr. 14. 12:00-16:00, brasserie restaurant

> Ye olde england in ye modern budapest? strange but true! There’s a dou-ble-decker bus parked outside the hotel entrance, big ben (well, a chocolatecopy), great pub ales and refreshing g&T, jacket potatoes and other fineenglish fare, plus the inimitable beatles tribute band, the blackbirds. comeand wave the union Jack on april 14 .

earTh daY brunchdaTe: apr. 21. 12:00-16:00, brasserie restaurant> we are going organic in a big way to celebrate earth day. live light and eat healthy is the motto today:

there’s a fantastic fruit ’n veg (celery, carrot, cucumber, banana, berries)smoothie bar in the brasserie, a display of bags, baskets and jewellery madefrom recycled paper, a brilliant segway track for kids in the harsfa room andplenty more going on. get a taste for sustainable living at our earth daybrunch.

10Th anniversarY brunchdaTe: apr. 28. 12:00-16:00, brasserie restaurant

> as we celebrate our 10th anniversary as corinthia hotel budapest we alsolook back in time to the days when this was the grand hotel royal, inaugurated in 1896. The hotel is being thrown open to tours, there is a fascinating exhibition on the history of the house, and nostalgia for thoselong gone days is evident in such specials as a unique royale cocktail, amenu from 100 years ago and a couple dancing the waltz in full ballroomcostume. come and witness history through the corinthia’s lens!

garamvÁri wine dinnerdaTe: apr. 19. 18:00-22:00, brasserie restaurant

> This evening of entertainment combines three superlative ’artists’: musicfrom the hugely popular saxophonist st. martin, a luxury five course mealprepared by corinthia hotel budapest’s award-winning chefs, crowned byfine reds, whites and sparkling wines from the distinguished garamváriwinery in budapest and at lake balaton.

roYal cocKTail

> acquaint yourself with the hotel’s 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!

roYal spaLet’s celebrate spring!geT Your bodY readY for The firsT hinT of a sunshine

> from revolutionary anti-aging facials to anti-cellulite body wraps and massages, we can helpyou tone and glowing from top to toe, just intime for summer.book any 60 minute or longer facial or body treat-ment and we treat you to a skin-renewing brownsugar full body exfoliation: a natural sugar exfo-liant and the unrivaled treatment for supremelysoft skin after just one use. product contains realbrown sugar crystals that prevent moisture losswhile gently buffing away dry skin cells.

preparaTion for macaron daugh

• heat the butter and cream and salt in a small pot • in a separate pot cook the sugar and glucose until it becomes a caramel

slowly pour the warm cream mixture into the caramel to make a nice creamy caramel,then add the chocolate chopped into small pieces and mix well.

• leave to cool and mix well with a whisk to make it slightly fluffy.

ingredienTs for macaron pasTe (200 pieces)

• sugar 125g• water 30g• egg whites beaten 50g• icing sugar 125g• almond powder 125g• egg whites 45g• egg white powder 2g• optional coloring 1g

preparaTion for macaron daugh

• heat the oven to 165c• whisk the egg whites untill fluffy and hard, and at the same time, cook the sugar and

the water until 117c and pour into the egg whites, • mix well the icing sugar and almond powder with the raw egg whites and egg whites

powder• add this mixture to the beaten egg whites and mix slowly and delecatly with a spatula

(macaroner in french) do not use a whisk for this mixture only a spatula.• if you wish, add a coloring to the mixture at this time.• place the mixture in a piping bag and pipe onto a silpat mat, or pastry paper drops in

the shape of macarons, and leave at room temperature for about 20 minutes to allowmacarons to become slightly crusty.

• place the tray in the over and cook for 10-12 minutes• leave to cool on the tray before removing.

filling The macaron

• place the salted caramel in a piping bag and fill one side of a macaron with the fillingand cover with another side.

recipe of the monthThe chef recommends

> Joel Khalil, executive chef of corinthia hotel budapest joined thehotel having already established himself as a highly skilled professionalon a number of continents. his last appointment was the position of theexecutive chef of sofitel macau in asia and prior to that he was workingin dublin, switzerland, Tel aviv, london, brunei and hong Kong. his inter-national career experiences have inspired him to create some exciting,easy-to-make recipes. we invite you to cook with us and try Joel'sfavorites.

Joel Khalil | Executive Chef

Table reservaTion and furTher informaTion: +36 1 479-4800 or cuisine.budapest@corinthia.com facebook.com/corinthiahotelbudapest

MACARON FILLED WITH SALTED BUTTERCARAMEL

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SALTED BUTTER CARAMEL (100 macarons)

• liquid cream 35% 110g• butter 135g• sugar 195g• salt 2g• glucose 30g• milk chocolate 20g

> classical music admirers should purchase tickets for the performanceof the national festival orchestra – conductor: iván fischer - at thenational concert hall on april 18-20. The budapest congress centerhouses the mozart concert series starring the Kossuth prize-winning violinist, miklós szenthelyi on april 20.

> april favors jazz-lovers with theJazz workshop – nigun & donbyron (usa) on april 8 in thefestival Theatre.

> The joint performance ofdaniel Kahn & The painted birdand oi va voi promises a ‘Klezmerrevolution’ on april 13. The venueis the national concert hall ofbudapest’s palace of arts.

> The world famous belgian bandvaya con dios puts an end to itsincredible, 27 years of carrier with afarewell concert from thehungarian audience, at thebudapest arena on april 6. last callto listen to neh na na na, live.

> Yamato group - The drummersof Japan - celebrates its 20thanniversary with a new world tour‘rojhoy - The beat on the road.’The performances will be stagedat the budapest congress centeron april 12-14.

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SZAMOS MARCIPÁN ROYAL CAFÉ, CHOCOLATE SHOPszamos chocolaTier welcomes guesTs wiTh TradiTional hungarian caKes and pasTries.

> The confectionery is a great place to meet in a busy part of the city,offering a tranquil and elegant environment for meetings of friends andbusiness partners, get-togethers for families and colleagues, and for everyone attending concert, theater and opera productions.

corinThia hoTel budapesT1073 budapest, erzsébet krt. 43-49.Telephone: +36 1 413 7968www.szamosmarcipan.hu

fesTivalThe last week of the Budapest Spring Festival has the most unique programs in store.

> The program entitled ‘circus in the night’ will premier in the festival Theatre on april 5-6, the pioneer show of the local contemporary circus company, recirquel contains fairytale and mythicalelements, portraying a group of acrobats trying tofind a circus that has disappeared.

> april 6 is dedicated to giuseppe verdi atbudapest’s opera house, part of the bicentennial celebrations of his birth with a grand verdi marathon.The spirit of the composer will be evoked with aconcert of choruses and arias to introduce an exceptionally rich and colorful operatic oeuvre.

> ‘budapest 100’, held on april 6-7, is an annual celebration of 100-year old buildings in the city. morethan fifty buildings - a mixture of residential houses,schools, museums and offices - will open to the public. The program offers the opportunity for thesehidden values to be discovered.

> passion, rites, raging emotions, mysticism, humorand respect – are just some of the experiences thatthe budapest dance festival will offer on april 19-29.masterpieces will be brought to life in the nationaldance Theatre and in the festival Theatre throughperformances by renowned hungarian and interna-tional dance troupes. world dance day, on april 29,will be celebrated with a gala evening dedicated tothe hungarian dance profession.

> The Titanic filmfest – held in art cinemas (Toldi,uránia, puskin, Örökmozgó) on april 5-13 – is thebiggest international film festival in hungary. Themost outstanding and innovative movie of the festi-val is rewarded with the ‘breaking waves award’. The night of baths will be held on april 6. be part ofa party filled evening in one of budapest's famousthermal baths. five of the city's most popular bathsszéchenyi, gellért, lukács, rudas and Király, partici-pate in the midnight extravaganza. concerts, dJs,music and dance are on the program, which starts at10 pm and goes on until 3 am.

exhibiTions

> The museum of fine arts stages a photography exhibition this spring, opening on april 4. The show willfeature around 250 shots by one of the icons of fashionand advertising photography, the german-australianhelmut newton (1920-2004), reflecting his most significant creative periods from the photo albums‘private property’, ‘illustrated’ and ‘gunforhire.’

> growing into the top design event in budapest, –awaiting the fashion crazed every sunday in april -wamp design market has relocated to a moreauthentic and frequented downtown spot, váci utca1. This is the place where design meets those, hungryfor something different and stylish.

MADÁCH THEATREonly 2 minutes walk from corinthia hotel budapestJOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAM COAT BY TIM RICE ANDANDREW LLOYD WEBBER > This wonderful musical is based on the story of Joseph, one of the most beautiful, dramatic and eventful storiesof the bible, and also one of Thomas mann’s famous tetralogy. it debuted at the madách Theatre in 2008. since thehungarian premiere, the musical has run more than 150 times. The spectacular and extremely high dynamic performance has become one of the public’s favorites. its witty, humorous and creative lyrics, fresh, multi-styledscenes combined with webber’s melodious tunes ensure an excellent, entertaining, ironic, and at the same time,inspired and cathartic experience for the public.

programs in marchRECOMMENDED BY THEcorinThia hoTel budapesTCONCIERGE TEAM

performances in april 201318 Thursday 7 pm19 friday 7 pm20 saturday 3 pm20 saturday 7 pm21 sunday 3 pm21 sunday 7 pm

april brings ‘spring fever’, encourages The world To rise uprenewed wiTh showers of programs.

For further information and reservations, please contact the Concierge.Tamás ungárChief Concierge

Table reservaTion and furTher informaTion: +36 1 479-4800 or cuisine.budapest@corinthia.com facebook.com/corinthiahotelbudapest

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