Prague - 3
Its first year has passed, and it's excellent to see how Fairmont Golden in Prague is maturing. It's no longer a fledgling, wondering what its place is. It no longer has empty spaces. The exterior ‘glass box’ is now an ever-changing art gallery and the was-vacant lobby boutique is now a colourful Pasquale Bruni space. One of the vitrines at the rear of the lobby honours the Czech Republic’s famous Karlovy Vary International Film Festival KVIFF, in the spa town of that name. It started 1946 and the next edition is 2-10 July 2027.
Yes, it's busy, both with guests and with people working there, who are as enthusiastic as ever, and really, really happy to be there. The three local owners, who saved their beloved ‘Golden’ – built by Pan Am in 1974 to signify a new era – called by, as they often do, for lunch, and a chat with the CEO of their R2G private office, Michal Smrek. The trio wanted to retain forever the hotel, built 1946 by Pan Am, who wanted an InterContinental, the brand the airline owned, as part of their new scheduled flights to what was then the capital of Czechoslovakia: the nation was not to split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia until January 1993, the event known as the Velvet Divorce.
When Girlahead first arrived at Fairmont Golden this visit, hotel GM and regional boss Gerhard Struger was temporarily out of town, but Girlahead was treated royally, and newly promoted guest relations Katerina Hruba was playing the role of hostess with the mostest. …
