abouT corinThiahoTel budapesT> corinthia hotel budapest is anaward-winning member of thecorinthia hotels brand. The hoteloriginally opened as the grand hotelroyal in 1896 and was entirely renovated and, in parts,rebuilt, in 2003, following its acquisition by corinthia hotels.among its many attributes, the hotelfeatures a majestic grand ballroomand the ‘royal spa’- itself an exten-sive renovation of an original 19th century spa whichadjoined the original hotel - that hasonce again regained its rightful placeas budapest’s most luxurious spa.

supporTing children> corinthia hotel budapest believes that, as well as guaranteeingmaximum guest satisfaction, being a role model in the area ofcorporate social responsibility is a primary commitment. at theend of 2012, we finalized a strategic cooperation agreement withthe csodalámpa (magic lamp) wish fulfilling foundation, now inits 10th year of operation. we have a common purpose: to helppeople in need. The magic lamp wish fulfilling foundation makes the wishesand hopes of children who suffer from life-threatening diseases come true, giving them unforgettable experiences andbreaking the dull routine of hospital treatment. The foundation– with the generous, support of individual and corporate sponsors – has been fulfilling wishes since november 2003, inwhich time it has made the dreams of around 2,000 seriouslyill children come true. corinthia hotel budapest is pledged tosupport this worthy cause and brighten up the lives of needychildren in 2013.

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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 nikoletta Kovács

front office manager on her evaluation of thepast and plans for the future.

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

> after the chilly days offebruary we all await thefirst rays of sun with particular excitement,yearning for the scents andsounds of spring. although

the weather may not always allow one to spend aday, or even an afternoon, out in the fresh air, wewould still like to suggest some programs that willhave an invigorating effect on both body and spirit.during the month, corinthia hotel budapest is offering several programs that guarantee pleasurableleisure time in the afternoon and evening. we havearranged the first Jazz series – Join the band in le bar,where we welcome you not only to sit back and listen to jazz but, if the mood takes you, join theband for some jazz jamming. march 8 marksinternational women’s day, and we have put together something really special for the occasion:the royal spa has a ladies’ spring skin rejuvenationtreatment program running throughout the month.what’s more, our executive chef has come up withsome gourmet and yet easily prepared recipes fordinners with friends and family. in addition to theprograms on offer in the hotel, i would like to drawyour attention to the various events and opportunities that the wonderful and historical capital of budapest has to offer. finally, i trust thatyou will enjoy the march edition of our newsletterand that you will find within its pages programs thatare very much to your taste.

Thomas m. fischer | general manager

guestbookcooperaTion wiTh The magic lamp foundaTion

PHOTO OF THE MONTH > our hotel’s spa we are especially proud of.

The ’gasTronome of The year’ award

> on february 4, 2013 Tibormeskál, the senior dutymanager of corinthia hotelbudapest was awarded as the’gastronome of the year’ bythe national association ofhungarian gastronomy at the21th Tourism season openinggala. This prize was presented

as recognition of meskál’s outstanding work in 2012,and also his 13 years of effort to improve the qualityof hospitality in hungary as chairman of the grandhotel royal’s hospitality club. he has been thesenior duty manager of corinthia hotel budapestsince 2002 and the host of the regular wine Tastingdinners at the hotel. The award was given bynorbert csizmadia the minister of state foreconomic planning at ministry for nationaleconomy and viktória horváth vice minister ofstate at ministry for national economy.congratulations mr. meskál!

canadian acTor donald suTherland

How long have you worked here and in whichareas have you been active?i joined the hotel with the launch team on 16september 2002 as a member of the conciergesection. after four and a half years, i trans-ferred to the executive reception section,where i learned about a new part of the frontoffice as a receptionist. The year 2008 heldmany changes for me; i debuted as guestrelations manager, and i won the employee ofthe year prize, which was a great honor. later,i was able to supplement my job with assistantfront office manager duties, and in may 2010 iwas appointed front office manager. i havebeen managing this 45-person team for nearlythree years.

How would you evaluate the performance ofthe Front Office in the past year? it is my experience that every year brings some-thing different: in 2012, for the first year sincethe economic downturn, we were able to initi-ate innovative investments and developments,not to mention staff growth in order to main-tain our 5-star service standard. The conciergeTeam has been upgraded (introduction of i-pads), we continue to replace the bellboy carts,and new equipment has been installed in recep-tion. we are able to devote ever more time totraining in order to ensure maximum guest sat-isfaction. we would like to implement evenmore daring and innovative plans this year,because our constantly changing guest profiledrives us to change as well.

What was the highlight event of 2012, the oneyou have the greatest pleasure in recalling?when bringing staff onto my team i always tryto select the type of people who love the pro-fession, and do their upmost for guests withmodesty and dedication. This is why i am mostproud of winning the best service hotel awardfrom one of the biggest travel portals,Tripadvisor. although this is, naturally, theresult of team work, from the aspect of servicethe staff of the front office has the greatestcontact with our guests, so i feel that this acco-lade is to a large extent due to us.

This year marks the 10th anniversary celebra-tions. How is the Front Office taking part inthis commemoration?The very first impression guests have on arrivalis the greeting from the bell staff, and the lastis the farewell they receive from reception onchecking out, so it is certain that we will have alarge part to play in the 10th anniversary and allactivities affecting guests. it will be the task ofour colleagues to help in making arrangements,providing information and promotions toguests, as well as presenting our hotel, some-thing we do with pride. we are one of the sec-tions of the house which has retained thegreatest number of staff from those who start-ed in 2002 (20%), so a little bit of nostalgia fillsus with pleasure. after all, we can rememberthe state of the hotel when it was only halfready, the opening day, and welcoming the veryfirst guests.

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WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE THE DREAMS OF SICK CHILDREN COME TRUE

supporTing children> for one whole year corinthia hotel budapest, currently celebrating its 10th

anniversary, is sponsoring – with a series of programs – the activities of thecsodalámpa (magic lantern) wish fulfilling foundation, a charity also in its tenthyear and dedicated to making the hopes and dreams of seriously ill children a reali-ty. The partnership agreement was reached with the aim that during 2013, the 5-star

hotel would host events that on the one hand promote the work and campaigning of the foundation,and on the other hand generate revenue from events to make further dreams come true. since 2003the magic lantern foundation has been endeavoring to ease suffering and bring happiness into theeveryday lives of seriously ill 3- to 18-year-olds by fulfilling their wishes. in the last decade the magiclantern foundation has brought a smile to the faces of nearly 2000 kids. young children often ask fortoys and games, older children are interested in computer equipment for their studies or simplyunusual experiences. Thus far, for instance, there have been trips of a lifetime for children who travelled to eurodisney, others have swum with dolphins, had the chance to meet celebrities or evendrive a locomotive. corinthia hotel budapest has, in fact, been helping the work of the foundationfor many years, since it has made it possible to organize cookery classes for charity on several occa-sions: donations made at the classes went towards fulfilling wishes. in 2013, continuing the previoustradition, an all-year cooperation program series is arranged, the revenue from which will go to helpthe work of the foundation. in conjunction with the press briefing a collection box has been set up inthe hotel reception; donations made by guests will similarly go to this good cause of bringing a smileto the faces of children. furthermore, the hotel will be hosting several conferences and programs thatpromote the campaigns of the charitable foundation. one such example is the exhibition of a super-size mosaic entitled “faces of the future”; the display has been put together by magic lanternfoundation from several thousand children’s pictures as well as fulfilled wishes. one of the pediatrichospitals will receive the picture based on the votes of visitors. The hotel intends to contribute further to the fulfillment of wishes using its contacts, volunteers recruited from among the membersof staff, and where possible with the guest services of hotels both in hungary and abroad.

corinThia hoTel prague> corinthia hotel prague is amodern upscale business andleisure hotel with fantastic con-ference facilities and a wonderfultop floor spa offering stunningviews over the city of prague. lessthan five minutes away fromprague city center, this corinthiahotel is a landmark in itself,standing atop one of prague’sseven hills and offering outstand-ing views of the capital city. Thehotel features 306 superior and145 business rooms. in addition,the property boasts 66 executiverooms and 22 suites on the top 3floors. all rooms are air-condi-tioned and feature flat-screensatellite Tvs, high-quality furnitureand luxurious fabrics, not to men-

tion unique views of historic prague, including the prague castle. an impeccable hotel service iscomplemented by superb amenities including a beauty parlor, café, bar, an array of restaurantssuch as: the award-winning rickshaw restaurant offering full spectrum of far eastern cuisine fromThailand, china, indonesia and malaysia in an intimate and oriental atmosphere, offering all-daydining The grill restaurant with specialties from the char-coal grill, café praha offering a range ofcoffees and teas with scrumptious homemade cakes and freshly prepared snacks throughout theday, and blue note bar setting the jazzy mood later in the day with its aperitifs, perfect cocktails,fine cigars and unique collection of whiskies. for relaxation, the top floor apollo day spa providesthe ideal venue including a swimming pool located on 26th floor with spectacular views, modernequipped gym, sauna, steam room, solarium, beauty parlor or wide range of massages. stay in, orgo out, Tourist or business, corinthia prague hotel is simply the best choice.

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

The beginning - Chapter 2

> after its opening, the royal became a popular, regular haunt of contemporary hungarian writers and journalists, including Jenô heltay, sándorhunyadi, lajos nagy, and gyula Krúdy. The royal soon became a favorite topicof journalists. The first screening in budapest of a motion picture by thelumiére brothers also took place at the hotel and later became highly successful as a regular exhibition. in 1909, the first hungarian airplane wasexhibited at the hotel’s cour d’honneur. several classical concerts were held inroyal’s ballroom, and béla bartók, the world famous hungarian composer,

frequently conducted music there. from the very beginning this magnificent room hosted a numberof elegant balls. with the growing popularity of the motion picture, the ballroom ceased to exist asa part of the hotel when it was reconstructed as the royal apollo cinema and after the secondworld war it reopened its doors as the red star cinema with its entrance on hársfa street in 1959.actually the operation of this cinema even survived the operation of the old royal, which wasclosed in 1991. after years of decline, the ballroom’s legend was reborn in 2002 when the wholeproperty was reconstructed and even this room was restored to its original state. it was laid withitalian limestone and spanish marble, framed by the expertise of hungarian craftsmen: their fabulousplaster work puts the final touch on the hotel and their gilded scrolls elevate the beauty of thegrand ballroom. from the second world war until 1953 the royal served not as a hotel, but as anoffice building. in 1953 the building was restored into a hotel, but three years later the roof wasdestroyed by fire. This unfortunate event forced the architects to reconstruct the whole building in1956. The royal was intended to be a hotel representative of the age, since none of today’s hotelson the danube bank had been established yet. istván Janáky, architect of the reconstruction, recon-sidered the building’s interior as the ‘space idealism’ of his age. Today, no remains of the originalinterior can be found. The demolition and reconstruction in 1956 destroyed every trace. in 1961 theroyal was re-opened as a hotel, with 367 guest rooms. over the years the hotel became obsoleteand finally, it was closed in the autumn of 1991, although the cinema remained in use until theautumn of 1997. The original visitor’s book contains the signatures of some of the most importantpeople from around the world. Just a few examples are max reinhardt, asta nilsen, saljapin,valdemar psylander, professor barnard, roberto benzi, mario del monaco, anna moffo, renatascotto, elisabeth schwarzkopf, amerigo Tot, valentina Tereskova. This year the restored and rebuiltgrand hotel royal celebrates the 10th anniversary of its reopening on april 30, 2003 as thecorinthia hotel. several additional historical periods and chapters will be presented to the readersin the coming issues to commemorate this magnificent hotel.To be continued…

meeT The sTaffINTERVIEW WITH Nikoletta Kovács, FRONT OFFICE MANAGER

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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.

10 march women’s day brunch> celebrate women’s day in style during the course of a sublime brunch. Join us in a world ofsparkling wines, elegance and chic sophistication including a make-up service and the chance totry refined fragrances from international perfumeries.

17 march naTional sunday brunch> enjoy a truly authentic hungarian feast in the brasserie and atrium restaurant with hussars in full dress uniform. apart from culinary enjoyment, our memorable celebration would not have been complete withoutthe experience of tasting traditional hungarian delicacies and wine straight from the barrel. Kids can immerseand learn how to make a fancy cockade and there will be a poetry reading show ensuring real entertainment.

24 march iTalian and seafood sunday brunch> immerse yourself in italian ambience and experience genuine italian flavours. our live station al denteoffers a wide range of pastas, risotto and seafood. enjoy sliced prosciutto with its smoothness on the palate,delicate taste and leanness. experience the wonderful combination of cheeses and olive oil with recommen-dation of our chef. meet with ancient romans in legionnaires’ uniform make sure the mood is trulymediterranean and you can even order a caesar salad from Julius caesar himself!

31 march easTer sunday brunch> The brasserie and atrium restaurant are putting on a special easter brunch: menu of typical easter dishes,traditional easter customs such as welcoming guests with a glass of pálinka, sprinkling the ladies, egg painting,hunt the egg, face painting and bunny pampering. celebrate a truly family feast with us.

10Th anniversary > corinthia hotel budapest, which this year celebrates the 10th anniversary of its reopening, presents severalmajor events in keeping with this red letter occasion. at the end of april, with the support of the hungarianmuseum of Trade and Tourism, the hotel will organize a history exhibition, which will also be the start of thejubilee program series. on april 28 the hotel will host an open day – the first in the history of the hotel –when the public will be given a glimpse into the life and operations of the hotel, and relive historically significant moments and events.

more details on our program series can be found at corinthia.com or on our facebook page.

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!

JaZZ series – Join The band 11-16 march, from 21.00 until midnight.

> Join our Jazz band in le bar. enjoy this interactive evening while you are welcome to have a go on any of the instru-ments like xylophone, cymbals, gong, hang, guitar or even piano. musicians can teach you the basics to get you jammingalong with the band. artisan cheeses and fine wine served up during the evening.

magic aT dusK29 march, from 20:00 until 23:00

> magic weaves its way through the hotel on this evening. it’s a real evening of marvels and mystification. if you really would like to experience a glamorous magical evening, let’s join us.

royal spare-energize and renew your skin after a long cold winter with one of the following phytomer facials:

purifying: an ideal treatment to make your skin look perfectly clean, clear and healthy.moisTuriZing: a hydrating treatment to supply intense moisture to dehydrated skin.

also nourishes and softens skin. sooThing: helps to restore the healthy-glow and radiance.

your skin will feel soft and fresh.anTi-wrinKle: ideal for skin that shows signs of wrinkles and fine lines.

delivers smooth, toned and radiant skin.each treatment is a 60 minute facial and provides optimal relaxation with the help of a detoxifying self-heating back mask.

price of one treatment: huf 24,500

as part of the cooperation agreement between corinthia hotel budapest and csodalámpa (magic lamp) wish fulfilling foundation – both celebrating their 10th anniversary this year – 10% of the cost of this treatment will be contributed to making the dreams of a seriously ill child come true. Thank you for your support!

ORANGE & PUMPKIN MARMELADE

PREPARATION TIME: 20 minCOOKING TIME: 45 minNOTE: Always prepare the fruit before weighing.

INGREDIENTS (for abouT 12 poTs)• 3 kg of peeled pumpkin flesh • 4 oranges peeled untreated (or washed)• 2 peeled lemons untreated• 100gr fresh ginger• 2.5 kg of sugar

PREPARATION• cut the pumpkin into cubes.• discard the white skin of the oranges and lemons and divide into

slices.• peel the ginger and grate it, this will give a nice little flavor.• put all the ingredients in a covered container with the sugar, mix

and let to infuse for 24 hours.• The next day put all ingredients together in a heavy sauce pan and

stir while the sugar dissolves and the liquid reduces.• bring to the boil and reduce the heat, then leave for 40 min on

low heat.• stir the marmalade very often as it sticks easily to the bottom of

the pan.• check the consistency of the jam so it is not too liquid.• blend the cooked fruits using a blender, then bring to a quick boil

again and put in jars.• place jars upside down and leave to cool.

if you are going to store this jam on a shelf to use at a later date -you need to go through the process of sterilizing the jars and perhaps even a pressure canner / water bath.

recipe of the monthThe chef recommends

> Joel Khalil, executive chef of corinthia hotelbudapest joined the hotel having already estab-lished himself as a highly skilled professional ona number of continents. his last appointmentwas the position of the executive chef ofsofitel macau in asia and prior to that he wasworking in dublin, switzerland, Tel aviv,london, brunei and hong Kong. his internation-

al 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

> sT. sTephen’s basilicainvites organ concert fans to share the passion with three different themes, thecathedral organ concert series mondays, ave maria Tuesdays and classics fromdanube string orchestra fridays. in addition to organists the concerts traditionally feature singers and instrumental musicians whose contribution isin itself the guarantee for the high level performance.

> abba The showThe world's biggest and most authentic abba – The show, featuring originalband members, including ulf andersson and roger palm, is on a world touragain and will perform in the papp lászló budapest sportarena on march 7.featuring classic songs such as waterloo, sos, mamma mia, dancing Queen,money money money, and many more, this promises to be the must-see event.

eXhibiTions> weeKend of oldTimersvintage car lovers are welcome to the weekend of oldtimers in the railwaymuseum on march 15-17. if you have an eye for beautifully restored veteran,antique, nostalgia and classic vehicles, don’t miss this event! The large-scaleexhibition is going to be enlivened by many outdoor programs including therailway museum’s own, spectacular interactive programs.

> ludwig museum - museum of conTemporary arT- pushes taboos with the naked man exhibition, opening on march 22. Theexhibition follows how the meaning of the male nude has altered in the pasthundred years, how male artists approach their own nudity - bravely, thoughfull of doubts, with curiosity about new life patterns - and also how femaleartists have conquered a theme that had long been forbidden to them.

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ORFEUM PROGRAM OFFER7 march at 21.00 - Tibor Kocsis, winner of X-factor hungary 2011 in concert8 march at 21.00 - music journey through time with adél csobot, finalist of X-factor hungary 201212 march at 21.00 - beatrix gyurki, the candidate of The voice hungary 2012 in concert13 march at 21.00 - Jazz, funky & soul live with vera Tóth, the voice of 200414 march at 21.00 - This is rocKabilly! one night, two concerts and one dJ. 16 march at 19.00 - interactive mystery night in hungarian19 march at 19.00 - interactive mystery night in hungarian 21 march at 21.00 - swing and boogie with group'n'swing - The greatest hits of the big band era 22 march at 21.00 - music journey through time with adél csobot, finalist of X-factor hungary 201223 march at 21.00 - The best of funky from the ’70s and today’s hottest soul and r’n’b hits29 march at 21.00 - a brand new production with the best of cole porter31 march at 21.00 - reggaeton vs. r'n'b party | 2 fantastic parties, 1 venue! reggaeton, r'n'b, funky, etc.5 april at 21.00 - musical tribute to barbra streisand. live concert with andrea malek, a true musical diva

> vince budapesTon march 8-10 promises to be a great wine event forprofessionals and amateur wine lovers alike. held inthe corinthia hotel budapest, vince will host winetastings, masterclasses, competitions and interactiveworkshops for professionals and the public.

> macaron dayThe second annual macaron day at budapest’sakvárium Klub on march 20 will surely please thosewith a sweet-tooth. The program includes a macaronfair and competition, programs for kids and lots ofdelicious pastries, in addition to baking instructions.

> creaTive crafT fairon march 9-10 the creative craft fair and workshopwelcomes craftsmen and experimental visitors atbudapest’s millenáris park. no less than 100 profes-sional exhibitors will be presenting the latest trendsand the most popular techniques in handicrafts today.

33. budapesT spring fesTivalhungary’s most prestigious arts festival will be held on march 22 - april 7 with over 50performances and exhibitions to choose from during the 10 days. a multitude of venuesthroughout the city will welcome hungarian and international performers.

> naTional philharmonic orchesTraThe budapest spring festival also celebrates the 132nd

anniversary of one of the greatest hungarian musi-cians, béla bartók, with a concert to be performed bythe national philharmonic orchestra on march 25, inthe palace of arts.

> budapesT sTaTe operaThe budapest state opera premiers wagner’s parsifaland masterpieces such as puccini’s Turandot, mozart’sdon giovanni, bach’s and mendelssohn’s matthaus-passion, mascagni’s cavalleria rusticana, erkel’s bánkbán and Tchaikovsky’s onegin.

evenTs aT palace of arTa series of outstanding performances are scheduled this month at the bartók bélaconcert hall at the palace of art.

> laTin passion! by elena urioste and the mÁv symphony orchestrais a mixture of classical and latin music on march 21.Kurt elling and his quintet will showcase the The brillbuilding project on march 5. you shouldn’t miss therichard strauss – capriccio either, on march 11.

> The naTional dance TheaTrewill host the famous ballet pécs on march 13 with theunique and provocative lisztmania - The ballad ofloathing, and the szeged contemporary dancecompany on march 17 with the innovative philosophyof bodies.

> The professional hungÁria folK ensemblewill give you insight to the traditional hungarian folkmusic, dance and costume heritage of hungary inbudapest’s beautiful danube palace from march 9 onevery saturday and also every day during the easterperiod.

MADÁCH THEATREonly 2 minutes walk from corinthia hotel budapestMONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT BY ERIC IDLE AND JOHN DU PREZ > since its debut in september 2009, the musical comedy, which is based on the world famous film „montypython and the holy grail” and has won three Tony awards, has become a great success for the madách Theatre.The musical has already celebrated 100 performances. whereas the production is characterized with an abundanceof witty verbal quirks so typical of english humor, its specialty lies in the specific direction, costume design, stagecraft and choreography, due to the rights the english authors have given the madách Theatre to stage the non-replica version of the musical.

performances in march 2013

14 wednesday 21:00 15 friday 15:00 15 friday 19:00 16 saturday 15:00 16 saturday 19:00

programs in marchRECOMMENDED BY THEcorinThia hoTel budapesTCONCIERGE TEAM

reservaTions: +36 309 48 64 48

www.orfeumclub.hu

www. facebook.com/orfeum

Located next to the hotel with directentrance from the hotel Lobby. Admission is free for our hotel guests.a rich paleTTe of classical and modern concerTs, operas

and opereTTas, and dance shows are offered This monTh

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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