PERSONALITIES

“I hope he is not going to die at my hotel!” Andreas Augustin

“I hope he is not going to die at my hotel!”

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For most of us the worst and certainly final of all nightmares is to die abroad. But some had made it a point to die at a certain place. History is full of these incidents. Some hotels become the departing point of the final journey. The horror of a hotelier is the customer, who has arrived to depart. In Austria one hotel even has its own cemetery.

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The Story of Trader Vic  — Bergeron, Victor J (1902-1984) Andreas Augustin

The Story of Trader Vic — Bergeron, Victor J (1902-1984)

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Victor J (Trader Vic) Bergeron was an irascible, one-legged genius, who founded a multimillion-dollar food and drink empire called Trader Vic’s. While everybody believed his restaurants originated in Polynesia, Victor was actually born in San Francisco. He had not lost his left leg to a shark, but amputated when he was six to prevent his death from tuberculosis of the knee.

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Feuilleton 347 - Ritzy Things You Should Know Andreas Augustin

Feuilleton 347 - Ritzy Things You Should Know

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Putting on the Ritz and others: Have you ever asked yourself what “Puttin' on the Ritz“ means? Or where the name „Ritz-Carlton“ originated. Glad you asked.

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Ralph Hitz, the Austrian who changed American Hospitality Stan Turkel

Ralph Hitz, the Austrian who changed American Hospitality

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Rarely has the creativity of a single personality left such a deep impact on an industry. At 14, he was a lift boy at the Viennese Hotel Sacher. From there he took a large portion of Austrian wit across the Atlantic. At 30 he managed the largest hotel chain of the United States.

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Vaslav Nijinsky: A Ballet Dancer’s Christmas Carol PERSONALITIES

Vaslav Nijinsky: A Ballet Dancer’s Christmas Carol

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In 1916, at the height of the so called Great War, the 'God of Dance', Vaslav Nijinsky, found himself and his little family stranded in Vienna.

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Metropole Hanoi: bunker discovered HOTELS

Metropole Hanoi: bunker discovered

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Kai Speth, the general manager of the Hotel Metropole in Hanoi was all excited. Many years ago I had written a book about the history of the Hotel Metropole in Hanoi. There were rumours about a bunker in the courtyard, a relic from the American War.

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RENÉ AUGUSTE CAILLIÉ — From Here to Timbuktu PERSONALITIES

RENÉ AUGUSTE CAILLIÉ — From Here to Timbuktu

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Timbuktu is widely used to describe a place extremely far away and regarded by many as a myth. In reality it's a city in Mali, West Africa, of such great historical importance that in 1988 it was designated a World Heritage Site.

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Writers at Hotels: Oscar Wilde PERSONALITIES

Writers at Hotels: Oscar Wilde

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Wilde scorned the idea of plumbed-in washstands with running cold and hot water at the Savoy: ‘What is it good for? If I want hot water, I call for it.’

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I need not have any money! PERSONALITIES

I need not have any money!

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If you think you have seen them all, read this one. Around 1960, it was sent to the proprietress of the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, Germaine Krull, who remembers: ‘Our bill collectors had their problems. One debtor had left the French Embassy as an address and, ...

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Lucien Fournereau: “Bangkok: Distractions? None!” PERSONALITIES

Lucien Fournereau: “Bangkok: Distractions? None!”

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The display of monumental architecture was a powerful Western means of visualising the East as a land of lost civilizations. ‘Ruines Khmères du Cambodge’, a water colour by Lucien Fournereau,is a perfect sample of this theory.

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Fired - Unfit for Hitler PERSONALITIES

Fired - Unfit for Hitler

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During the takeover of Austria in 1938, the Imperial's general manager is considered unfit to receive Hitler.

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The Great César — Life and Times of César Ritz PERSONALITIES

The Great César — Life and Times of César Ritz

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César Ritz, born in the Swiss village of Niederwald on 23 February 1850, began his hotel career at the age of 15 in Switzerland. He was considered until for the trade, and rose to become the world’s first true international hotelier.

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Most Popular

Savoy (Baur en Ville)

Savoy (Baur en Ville)

This is Zurich's oldest grand hotel. When it opened on December 24, 1838, it marked a milestone in the history of the hotel industry. In...Read More

Grand Hotel Lviv (Lemberg)

Grand Hotel Lviv (Lemberg)

Grand Hotel Lviv in 1894 Lviv or Lemberg can be metaphorically described as the westernmost city in Eastern Europe or the easternmost city in...Read More

Bergues, Des

Bergues, Des

In our world, it is no longer a given that simple restraint represents true elegance. To be recognized as one of the oldest purpose-built Grand...Read More

Le Royal

Le Royal

In 1923/24, the construction of a 55-room hotel in Phnom Penh was proposed. Architect Ernest Hébrard, who was largely responsible for...Read More

The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

Since decades “The Oriental”, as it is affectionately known by travellers from all over the globe, leads the lists of all...Read More