Interview with Martina Canova - The Resident Manager of the K+K Hotel Central

Our Editor Subhash Motwani in his capacity of a travel consultant had gone to attend the first ever International Destination Expo organized by ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents') in Prague from 21st to 26th March 2006. However, he arrived two days earlier to explore Prague as well as other cities of Czech Republic such as the famous Spa Town of Carlsbad or Karlovy Vary and between 19th and 21st March, he checked-in at the K+K Hotel Central (part of the WORLDHOTELS First Class Collection) The K+K Hotel Central is situated in the heart of the Old Town of Prague, a few steps away from Prasna Brana or the Powder Tower.

During his stay at this superior first class property he had a chat with Martina Canova, the Resident Manager of the Hotel to find out more about this wonderful property with its Belle Epoque architecture and also to get a look in at the amenities provided by the hotel. Subhash discovered a few interesting aspects of this fantastic property and strongly recommends a stay at K+K Hotel which is one of the premier hotel properties of Prague located in a historical “art nouveau” building and those who want to be in the heart of Europe, what better way to get the flavour of the city than staying in the heart of the Old Town and get pampered by the high standards, superior service and warm hospitality of the K+K Hotels with it superb architecture, stylish interiors and personalized service.

Martina, how long have you been associated with K+K Hotels?
I was the Resident Manager 5 years ago with Hotel Fenix which is part of the K+K Hotels and is located a few steps away from the Wencesclas Square, the heart of the city centre of Prague. Now I have taken the assignment for 6 months at K+K Central as the current Resident Manager is on a maternity leave. In Prague we have two hotel properties and both are located in the heart of the city.

Tell me about the K+K Hotel chain?
K+K Hotels is a privately owned company. The owners are from Salzburg, Austria and this chain was founded in 1961 by Josef and Hemut Koller. This is an Austrian company run by a family and currently there are nine properties which are primarily boutique hotels. The K+K Central has 127 rooms, the same as Fenix and the latest edition to our properties is in Bucharest, Romania. We also have hotels in London, Paris, Munich, Budapest, Salzburg as well as two hotels in Vienna and two in Prague.

K and K stands for Koller and Koller, the two owners and their sons have carried forward the tradition of taking care of these hotels. The present CEO is Mr. Heinrich Koller. The group employs a workforce of 400 and generates an annual turnover of 40 million Euros.

The K+K Hotel Central is a new property. When was it started?
K+K Hotels have invested about 19 million Euros to restore this jewel of Prague-style Art Nouveau to its former brilliance. The Central was built in 1900 and is situated right next to the Powder Tower and the House of Representation (formerly known as the Community House). An international team of architects, engineers and craftsmen revitalized the listed historical building, combining Art Nouveau elements with ultra-modern architecture and technology to create a unique hotel

The K+K Hotel Central was bought in 2002 and was rebuilt. Earlier it was a famous Czech theatre from the 1930s to the 1970s. K+K when they bought the hotel, they wanted to retain the original structure and after two years of renovation, it was opened in 2004. So the original Belle Epoque décor is retained including the elevator and the stairs.

The former theater now houses an ultra-modern glass and steel box featuring a conference facility on one level and a restaurant on the other. The Central also has a bar with a bistro-cafeteria, a business lounge, a conference center for 100 people and in the former cabaret, there is a modern spa with sauna, massage and fitness facility.

What are the amenities that the property has to offer?
The hotel has 3 meeting rooms which can accommodate upto 60 people and is excellent for conferences with all the amenities required including high speed internet connection and wi-fi which is free of charge. We also have a wellness centre and your stay would include complimentary access to the sauna as well as fitness centre. The Wellness area offers a range of services to help you choose from various therapeutic massage treatments including Swedish massage, Classic Message, Sport Message as well as Neuromuscular Therapy.

Our rooms are fully equipped with bath/WC, safe, minibar, tea/coffee making facilities, international multi-lingual television channels, radio, ISDN telephone, electronic door lock, free high speed Internet access in all rooms. As we offer more than a four star value, hence the K+K properties are also known as four & more, since besides offering all amenities, our hotels are located in the heart of the city and comprise of fine architecture with fine interiors and a very personalized service.

Our contemporary design of property radiates a warm, upbeat and stylish comfort as is apparent from the bar and the bistro area as well as the elegantly designed breakfast area where we serve champagne breakfast which is very peculiar of this property.

There may be hotels of four star category which you may get for 20 Euros less. However with K+K properties, you get that value addition. Though we have bed and breakfast facilities, we also can organize half board facilities for groups. I am sure once you experience the K+K style of hospitality you would like to always stay at a K+K property when you travel next time to Europe.