Anthea Gerrie Is First In At The Stunning Fairmont Golden Prague, A Brutalist Gem Transformed Into an Exquisite Five-Star Hotel
In Prague, famous for its curlicued chocolate box architecture, it’s a bold hotelier who chooses a Brutalist landmark to house the city’s newest five-star hotel. But despite the unlikely juxtaposition of concrete and glass geometry against the elegant curvy facades of neighbouring art nouveau buildings, the unlikely transformation of a tired old Soviet-era hotel works – the new Fairmont Golden Prague is stunning.
Thank Karel Filsak, the Czech architect who created the hotel’s beautiful bones back in 1974, and the President Hotel which stands beside it. Together they make a strong statement on Prague’s riverfront which is anything but an eyesore, and the Fairmont’s exquisite interior is proof that the Czech capital is design-forward despite being home to a plethora of quarters which are forever looking back.
Of course there is great stuff to look back to in this building, if only 50 years rather than several centuries as in the rest of the city centre. The best arts and crafts elements of the original building, which was opened as a business hotel, the first western investment in a country trapped behind the Iron Curtain, have been preserved, from the magnificent chandeliers and art glass for which the Czech Republic is famous to gilded light fixtures, ornate wooden posts and original paintings.
What’s new is a wealth of dark wood bringing richness and sophistication to room floors and the public areas at street level, while the hospitality areas of the reception floor – spacious lounges, a uniquely-named bar and an indoor-outdoor restaurant – are bright and airy, providing a welcome respite from the slightly claustrophobic atmosphere of crowded Old Town Prague.
There are several suites among the 320 rooms, and we enjoyed one with an extra loo in a corridor leading to the dressing area and bathroom on one side and a comfortable living room on the other, both with huge television screens. Electric curtains and blinds and a Nespresso machine were other welcome accoutrements, along with high-class toiletries by Le Labo including generous bars of soap and some of the best hotel slippers, with herringbone wool uppers, seen in years.
The textured glass partition dividing the richly-panelled bedroom from the bathroom was a work of art in itself, and indeed is a major design feature. Twin coloured glass basins and separate inner doors leading to a shower and lavatory each ensconced in their own enclosure, not to mention an invitingly deep bathtub, made this a bathroom worth getting up for.
Other notable features include the Czech movie posters in every room; they had to be created during the Communist era when western films were being shown, but their promotional material considered subversive. They were inspired by the Czech owners’ love of film, which has also led to a Czech classic being featured every night alongside a full international movie selection to enjoy on giant in-room screens.
This being the land of Oscar-winning director Milos Forman, it’s no surprised there’s a bar named for one of his most famous films, even if Coocoo’s Nest is not quite how you expect to see it spelled. This lobby bar features yet more glass – hovering above the bar in capsule shapes – with the huge, U-shaped bar fixture itself wrapped to resemble a nest. There is a stained glass banner in the Kafka Brasserie next door where breakfast is served, but the glass star of the ground floor for me was the pair of gleaming glass-brick reception desks which provide an instant wow factor as you enter the hotel.
For rather more relaxed drinking and some unexpected bites, ride the lift to the rooftop, where Golden Eye (no James Bond connection intended) offers a lively meeting and dining point overlooking Prague’s lovely riverscape. After choosing a margarita, perfectly made in classic style thousands of miles from Mexico, I was seduced by something much more visually interesting – a cocktail which came with its own tree.
The Bonsai cocktail is based on the local liqueur, becherovka, and as another clean, clear white drink made a perfect partner for the seafood which underpins the menu. Unexpected inasmuch as the fresh oysters came from Ireland, and the sushi and sashimi were bolstered by other offerings including tuna tatami, and a sensational off-the-menu foie gras with mango sushi created by chef Numan Seckin, who has brought years of experience at creating Asian fare with a twist from his years at Zuma London.
While Zlata Praha, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant which occupies the part of the top floor not taken up by Golden Eye – and features exquisite city rooftop views – was closed during our visit, we enjoyed high quality food beyond our expectations at the indoor-outdoor Greenhouse street level restaurant, including fresh lobster flown in from Ireland as well as traditional local dishes like beef bouillon with dumplings. Of course there is Pilsner Urquell, the country’s favourite brew – Fairmont Golden Prague is the only hotel in the city to boast its own beer tanks – and a selection of the fine local wines for which the Czech Republic is gaining a well-deserved reputation.
The hotel is ideally placed for visiting all the top attractions of Prague – a 10-minute stroll from Charles Bridge and a five-minute stroll through the Jewish Quarter to Old Town Square with its astronomical clock. The Fairmont Spa & Wellness is a perfect place to recover from the stress of mingling with arguably too many tourists, with a squad of experts therapists.
There are also free yoga classes every morning, which only a slight Bonsai hangover prevented me from attending, and a lovely spa cafe for those in search of smoothies, plant-based cuisine and other healthy fare. On the other hand, this is a hotel with not one, but two happy hours – cocktail-lovers can enjoy a free pour at Coocoo’s Nest at 5pm followed by another at 6pm at Golden Eye. No wonder Prague is famous for the good life and no doubt the free daily welcome drinks have helped Fairmont expand as a hospitality presence from the original 1907 hostelry which has remained San Francisco’s finest to a worldwide luxury brand currently 92 hotels strong and growing.
Tell Me More About Visiting Fairmont Golden Prague
Fairmont Golden Prague Hotel, Parizska 30, 11000 Prague, Czech Republic
T:+420 296631111 E: prague@fairmont.com
From £350 per night
