On a somewhat cool and breezy day, bright sunshine woke me up and I stepped out on to the balcony of my room at the Hotel Jalta. This four-star hotel is located on Wenceslas Square, the main square of Prague’s New Town district. To my left, at the top of the square, the imposing neo-classical façade of the Czech National Museum dominated the view while a collection of early 20th century buildings are framing this long public space on all other sides.

Around 7:30 I headed downstairs to the hotel’s main floor to Como Ristorante, where a large buffet breakfast was awaiting the hotel guests. A generous spread of cheeses, cold cuts, eggs, beans, hash browns, bacon, sausages and mushrooms was waiting, along with various types of fruits, yoghurts and freshly baked multi-grain breads. I was definitely ready to dig in and fill up for a busy day of explorations in Prague.

After my scrumptious breakfast I headed to the reception and asked if I would be able to have a tour of the hotel facilities. I always like to learn more about the unique places that I am staying at and the hotel accommodated me. One of the hotel employees took me upstairs and explained that the Hotel Jalta was built in 1958, during the Cold War, a time when the Czech nation was dominated by Soviet control. Hotel Jalta was supposed to be a flagship of the Eastern Bloc hospitality industry. Many Soviet dignitaries and international delegates stayed at the Hotel Jalta during the Communist years.

The hotel itself was designed by Prague architect Antonin Tenzer and was one of the most modern buildings in Prague when it was opened. Many of the original features such as the large corridors and metal wrought stair railings are still completely intact. I had a chance to see a variety of rooms, including one of the 84 Superior Double Rooms and one of the 5 Superior De Luxe Rooms, both of which distinguished themselves by their spaciousness.

The Superior Double Rooms are equipped with a queen-sized bed; an en-suite bathroom with bathtub, shower, hairdyer and a towel warmer; air conditioning; a mini-bar, a safe, satellite flat-screen television, a direct dial telephone and free wireless high-speed Internet access. All the guest rooms have recently been renovated and sport a warm palette of beiges, dark browns, rusty reds and mauves. The entire hotel was completely renovated in 2004 and now exudes the ambience of an upscale boutique hotel.

The Superior De Luxe Rooms have additional features, starting first and foremost with the fabulous view over Wenceslas Square, as well as a king-size bed with a cozy sitting area and a mini-bar. Thoughtful touches include a complimentary umbrella, high quality L’Occitane bath cosmetics, and a welcome drink upon arrival. Bowls with green Granny Smith apples are positioned all over the hotel, and they are not just a delight for the eyes, but also a welcome healthy complimentary snack in between.

The hotel also has five suites that include a bedroom with a plush queen-sized bed as well as a separate living room. The spacious bathroom also features two washbasins in addition to the bathtub and the separate shower. A fitness room is available to hotel guests free of charge; and a business centre, photocopying and printing services look after the needs of the business travelers. Naturally, as a luxury hotel, the Hotel Jalta also offers laundry and dry-cleaning services, luggage storage, safety deposit boxes, foreign currency exchange, parking, 24-hour room service, a concierge, limousine service and convenient on-site massages. Multi-lingual staff members are able to assist guests with their special needs.

I then had a chance to see the conference facilities which are distinguished by the natural daylight that streams in through the large windows and doors. A separate room in the corner accommodates an interpreter’s booth for conferences where simultaneous interpretation services are required.

The foyer just outside the conference room is semi-circular and features aesthetic wood carvings that are an original feature from the 1950s. A few steps further is a large terrace that looks out over Wenceslas Square. In addition to the fabulous view it is adorned by a series of oversized stone carvings that embellish the recently cleaned façade of the hotel. Conference delegates sure would enjoy a little coffee break in the foyer and on the terrace of the Hotel Jalta.

Heading down on an impressive spiral staircase I reached the ground floor again and arrived in the Como Restaurant which offers light Mediterranean cuisine and an extensive wine selection. Once arrived on the ground floor, I connected with the General Manager of the hotel, Jan Adamek. We started talking in the lobby, right next to the crown jewel of the Hotel Jalta: an original 1980 painting by Andy Warhol of Franz Kafka. Only four of these painting were ever made. Franz Kafka is one of Prague’s most well-known personalities, a German-speaking Jewish writer of the early 20th century. Although his work was never acknowledged during his lifetime, today Franz Kafka’s writings are widely accepted as among the most influential in Western literature. The owners of the Hotel Jalta were able to acquire this painting at an auction at Sotheby’s in London.

Jan also explained that the entire hotel was renovated from top to bottom for about 3.5 million years. Going back to the hotel’s history he indicated that construction on the hotel was already started in 1954, and the planned completion date was 1956, but the hotel did not open until 1958. Last year the hotel celebrated its 50th anniversary, and at this occasion the entire façade of the hotel was cleaned of the accumulated grime and soot which restored the 1950s sculptures to full beauty. As part of the celebrations, a 50% discount was offered to anyone celebrating a 50th anniversary last year.

Shedding more light on the Cold War history of the Hotel Jalta, Jan explained that the hotel was also equipped with a nuclear bunker that accommodated a hospital with two operating rooms. Other rooms were available for accommodation, administrative offices and bathrooms, and the original ventilation system still works. This underground facility was completely protected from possible nuclear and other attacks from outside, and more than 200 people could find refuge in the underground bowels of the Hotel Jalta.

A complete emergency plan existed and large supplies of food and water were on hand in case a nuclear war was to erupt. Communist officials would certainly have sought a safe haven at the Hotel Jalta in such an event. The underground bunker had four escapes, two of them opened up through the pavement on Wenceslas Square. The underground bunker at the Hotel Jalta is a true memento to the Cold War period and Jan Adamek added that there only two buildings like this in all of Europe.

Hotel Jalta was built in the so-called “Socialistic Diagonal Style” – a strongly Russian-influenced style of architecture. When the hotel was built, skilled carpenters and other trades-people from the pre-Communist period were used. All the fittings and details were custom-made and of fantastic quality. Hotel Jalta was long regarded as the Pearl of Prague and important foreigners and statesmen visited it, not knowing that all the rooms were bugged. Every single room was equipped with secret listening devices to spy on the foreigners and possibly glean insight into secret western plans. This lasted all the way up until the Velvet Revolution in 1989 and the Fall of Communism. Even afterwards and during the renovations, electronic listening devices were still being found in different rooms of the Hotel Jalta.

From Communist showpiece to secret bunker to modern luxury boutique hotel, the Hotel Jalta has been a treasured fixture in the heart of Prague for more than a half century now, and I was fortunate to have seen the end results of this transformation.

The recent economic climate has increased the wealth and purchasing power of many reflected in the arrival of luxury brands such as  Gucci, Vertu, Louis Vuitton and Lacoste. As Viet Nam’s economy strengthens, the tourism industry is inevitably expanding its own horizons. Once considered a backpacker destination, Viet Nam is now attracting a different kind of tourist with growing high – end options.

Golfing holidays have developed fast over the last couple of years, with fourteen golf courses already in place from the north to the south and more under development. Spa, wine and food, beach vacations, family travel, cruise, honeymoon and romance travel are all becoming favorites for upscale travelers. Historically, travel has been synonymous with luxury. Travel for the sake of curiosity and fun was the domain of the wealthy. The average family rarely ventured beyond their own village. How things have changed !

Thomas Cook started what is arguably the first modern travel agency in the 19th century, selling cruise ship tickets to leisure travels. Viet Nam experienced it’s first taste of luxury travel in the early 19th Century, with the arrival of the Emeraude paddle steamer. Cruising the grottos of Ha Long Bay, for the most part, the Emeraude serviced wealthy French travelers visiting Indochina and beyond.

This type of travel was only available to a small percentage of the population. Indeed, real luxury travel as we think of it today was only for the very elite until 1950s when business travel became more common and popular. Initially, most business travelers went by land. The advent of air travel made the world smaller, allowing people to travel further and faster. This style of transport, however, was still expensive, exotic and dangerous.

These days, the whole idea of luxury has moved up a notch. What was considered “Luxury” just a few years before is now available to a much larger slice of the population. Branded hotels, cruises lines, international resorts and luxury tours companies continue to create new products to meet the demand of the disceming travels. Viet Nam’s tourism authority should focus on the market segment; the amount each tourist spends, rather than just the number of tourists traveling in Viet Nam.

According to Mr. Pham. CEO of Luxury Travel Viet Nam, “the Viet Nam’s tourism authority must think outside the box and get out of the image crisis about Viet Nam as a destination; they should aim to promote a luxury image of this country”.

Viet Nam’s first luxury tour company commenced operation in 2004 to satisfy the increasing number of luxury travelers coming to the country for leisure and business. “ We recently returned from our wonderful 15 day journey to Viet Nam and Cambodia arranged by Luxury Travel Viet Nam,” said Pamela Solvang, Shark TV, Texas, USA. “ We have used the best luxury travel companies in the US and else where and can attest that Luxury Travel Vietnam provides excellent services!”

Luxury Travel Viet Nam

05 Nguyen Truong To Str., Ba Dinh Dist, Ha Noi, Viet Nam

26 Dong Khoi Street, Dist 1, Saigon

Phone: +84.4.39274120 Exit 108

Fax:  + 84.4.39274118

www. Luxury Travel Vietnam.com