Prague Travel: Art Deco Splendour At The Historic Radisson Blu Alcron Hotel In Prague
Always on the lookout for historical structures
, I had planned a visit to another renowned Prague establishment: the Radisson Blu Alcron Hotel, established in 1932 at the height of Art Deco as Pragues premier hotel of that era. Martina Pavlikova from the hotel welcomed me and graciously took me on a tour of this Art Deco Jewel.The hotel was the brainchild of the original architect-owner Alois Krofta, who named the hotel after himself using the first two or three letters of his first and last name, and adding the final n, which was inspired by the Alcron, a boat from Greek mythology. It was Kroftas intention to build a hotel that would compete with the most splendid properties in Vienna and Berlin, which were more popular destinations at the time. He was successful and soon the Alcron Hotel became the preferred destination of statesmen, politicians and aristocrats.
The hotels splendour became apparent right away when I entered the lobby: white Italian marble and decorative copper railings are luxurious relics of the thrilling times of the Jazz Age. The hotel was completely refurbished in 1998 under the guidance of renowned interior designer Maria Vafiades, using authentic Art Deco inspired materials and furniture. Martina explained that the same designer redesigned the hotel again in 2008, once again with Art Deco stylings, but this time with a more updated and modern feel.The Bebop Bar is decorated in jazzy browns and blacks and offers guests local beer, wine and an extensive bar menu. A piano waits in the corner to be played. Past the reception is an intimate 24-seat restaurant called The Alcron Restaurant which features a stunning Jazz Age mural in muted brown and beige tones, displaying 1930s couples dancing in front of skyscrapers.The Alcron Restaurant is one of the best seafood restaurants in Prague and was listed in first place in the Top 100 Best Restaurants in the Czech Republic by the Czech gourmet guide. A beautiful smoked glass partition above a fireplace separates the Alcron Restaurant from the lobby and still features the original glass design from the 1930s. A small logo of a sailing vessel, the original Alcron from Greek mythology, can be seen in the original door of the fireplace.To the right is La Rotonde, the hotels elegant 130 seat Art Deco restaurant. It offers a mix of international cuisine and traditional Czech dishes, all under the guidance of renowned executive chef Roman Paulus whose previous cooking experiences include the Hilton Hotel in Prague and the Queen Mary II ocean liner. The expansive restaurant is adorned by a graceful statue of a ballet dancer, a reproduction of an original, larger statue of a prima ballerina who was rumoured to have been the lover of original owner Alois Krofta. The copy of the statue was created by the original sculptors grandson.Just outside La Rotonde is a large private terrace that is open during the summer. It is often used for barbecues in the evening while the indoor restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On Sundays La Rotonde fills up with patrons eagerly waiting for the Jazz Brunch, while Saturday is family day, which means fun activities for parents and children. Friday nights have become popular events as well since guests can dance to the sounds of music from the 1920s to the 1940s.We then started on a tour of some of the guest rooms of the Radisson Blu Alcron Hotel. Martina showed me a standard room which demonstrated the sleek updated version of Art Deco design that was implemented throughout the property in 2008. A big mirror decorates the area above the bed and adds more depth to the room. A safe, an espresso machine and minibar, a flat screen TV, bathrobe and slippers are all standard amenities at this hotel.Then we headed to the Castleview Suite, a very spacious suite with slanted roofs on the 8th floor. The window offers a great view of Prague and showcases some of the most important sights: Prague Castle, Petrin Hill and the golden roof of the National Theatre.The Presidential Suite is even more opulent: about 80 square metres (roughly 860 square feet) in size, it consists of a large bedroom, a very large dining and living room configuration, a compact kitchen and two bathrooms. This luxurious suite provides views on both sides of the unit: towards the east you can see the National Museum on Wenceslas Square, and on the other side of the suite a gorgeous panorama of Pragues main landmarks opens up.The City of 100 Spires beckons the visitor from this deluxe accommodation at the Radisson Blu Alcron Hotel. Guests of the Presidential Suite enjoy a free welcome drink, free breakfast either at the restaurant or via room service, free newspapers and access to the executive lounge.Martina then showed me some amenities for the business visitors: the meeting rooms and conference areas on the second floor. Five salons are available for meetings, and the Crystal Ballroom is flooded with daylight. All salons can be opened up to the ballroom and a breakout area offers space for coffee breaks.Gorgeous pictures adorn the hallways and a special Art Deco-style font is used for all the hotels signs and letterings. The original grand marble staircase stretches from the top to the bottom of the building, and the metal railings are authentic Art Deco pieces.It was getting close to lunch time right now, and Martina took me back to the main floor to show me the preparations in the kitchen. Head chef Roman Paulus and his crew were busy creating culinary delicacies for the lunch-time guests. Martina explained that the hotel offers very popular Sunday brunches as well as cooking classes for adults and children.Roman was showing us some of the dishes that were being prepared: an amuse-bouche featuring scallops with vegetables; then monkfish the daily special accompanied by basil, polenta and zucchini. Lobster bisque was being stirred on the stove, and I asked the chef for his lunch time recommendation: filet of veal with white and green asparagus and a mushroom sauce.We then sat down at one of the tables in the La Rotonde Restaurant and I was looking forward to sampling some of the renowned cuisine. I started my lunch with a non-alcoholic Bellini, and the beverage manager explained to me that the Radisson Blu Alcron Hotel is unique in offering a water menu that contains more than 20 different brands, sorted by country of origin and mineral content. We tasted some Lauretana water from Tuscany which had the lowest mineral content. To prime our palate we enjoyed a selection of multi-grain breads accompanied by salted butter, olive tapenade and Budapest spread a tasty cottage cheese spread with tomatoes and peppers.I realized that history is never far away in Prague when Martina pulled out a book called Hotel Alcron, Pametni Kniha (Memory Book), which is a collection of old VIP signatures from the hotels guest book. The memory book itself was created by an unknown person and found in an antiques store in Prague. Its creation is shrouded in mystery.The book contains signatures from 1932 to 1948 and illustrates the history of Prague in dramatic ways: from European aristocrats, ambassadors and statesmen in the mid 1930s to German Army officers before and during World War II to Soviet officials in the post-war years, this memory book bears silent testimony to some of Pragues most turbulent years.Celebrity signatures include actor Maurice Chevalier, US Army General Arthur McDouglas, Prince Eugene of Sweden, Thomas Cook a member of the British Parliament and many other princes, ambassadors, actors. Martina explained that in the 1930s the Alcron Hotel was referred to as The Palace for its luxury features and it was the first hotel to compete with the glamorous establishments in Vienna and Berlin.After we finished our delicious asparagus soup, our main course had arrived and the restaurant manager Leon Klopp introduced the delicacies on our plates: veal tenderloin, green and white asparagus, young potatoes and sweetbread, the thymus gland of the calf, a very tender delicacy. Roman Paulus, the executive chef, sat down with us and I asked him to explain Czech cuisine to me. He clarified that Czech cuisine is very similar to Austrian and Bavarian cuisine: lots of pork, veal, venison, freshwater fish, dumplings and seasonal vegetables. The winter cuisine traditionally features sauerkraut,marinated and dried fruits as well as compotes. 40 years of Communism were not particularly kind to Czech cuisine as the country was plagued by many shortages, and fresh ingredients were hard to come by.Modern Czech cuisine still uses the same basic ingredients but is a lot lighter and healthier. Over the last 20 years Czech chefs have had a chance to experiment, and seafood has now become a popular item in upscale restaurants. The Alcron Restaurant is a fine dining destination and features a tasting menu with a menu that changes monthly. As one of the examples of its cuisine, Roman mentioned pork belly with prawns. The Alcrons other restaurant, La Rotonde, offers international modern hotel cuisine with Czech accents.After this informative culinary introduction Roman left to head back into the kitchen as we enjoyed our delectable lunch. 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