1. Who are you?

My name is Suzanne Urpecz. I’m the creator of The Hungarian Girl which is a dedicated blog/website about Central & Eastern European food and culture.

I’m currently studying Culinary Arts at George Brown College in Toronto, Canada. I’m preparing to open my own authentic Hungarian restaurant in the near future. As well, I operate a specialty cake business that offers the very best in Central and Eastern European desserts.

In addition, I have a background in Journalism – Broadcasting and I’m a graduate of Seneca College. Previously, I worked at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in their newsroom.

2. What do you like about what you do?

I’ve always wanted to have my own business. I now have the ability to combine two of my greatest passions which is cooking and writing. I also enjoy meeting new people and travelling.

3. What don’t you like about what you do?

The downside of running your own business is that it can be difficult and stressful at times. You’re the “captain of the ship” and that means you’re responsible in making all the necessary decisions. It’s also tough trying to manage a business without proper financing but it also encourages me to find different and unique strategies. Regardless, I always look forward to undertaking new challenges with my business.

4. Please tell us about ‘The Hungarian Girl’ and your aims?

The Hungarian Girl aims to be the #1 portal of information about Central and Eastern European food and culture. In the future, I hope to have my own authentic Hungarian restaurant under the same name. I would also like to have my own television show that focuses on the food and culture of these regions.

5. Are you working with other blogs and if yes, which ones and why?

I’m currently working in a partnership to launch an official website called the Friends of the Tokaji Renaissance. The website will feature information, news, events, articles and reviews about Hungary’s famous sweet wine.

6. Your TOP 3 hotel experiences and why?

One of my most memorable hotel experiences was staying at a bed & breakfast located in the township of Haliburton in Northern Ontario called Swiss Acres. My fiancé and I were staying in the area to go dogsledding that weekend. They treated us like family and made our stay really special. I’ll never forget their wonderful hospitality.

Another excellent hotel experience was staying at the Hotel Palazzo Zichy in Budapest. The hotel is located in a historical building that was originally designed and constructed in the 19th century. It’s such a gorgeous place and the staff is incredibly friendly. I would certainly return to their hotel on my next stay in Budapest.

I would also really like to mention that staying at The Ring Hotel was fantastic! You’ve got a great concept that combines the best of luxury and casual in Vienna.

7. Your TOP 3 food/restaurant experiences and why?

I live in Toronto which is a very multicultural city. One of the best things about the city is the variety of ethnic food. Little India is a place I often enjoy going to which serves authentic Northern Indian cuisine. The family-run restaurant has a wide variety of dishes and the service is excellent. They also have a great lunch buffet.

Of course, being the Hungarian Girl I’m always looking for the very best in Hungarian food. During my last visit to Budapest, I was highly impressed with Bagolyvar Restaurant. I had their chicken paprikash and it was amazing! I also really liked Callas Café and Restaurant for their incredible cakes and pastries.

8. Which food/restaurant concept would you like to share with us?

Quality and service are the two most important elements to managing a successful restaurant. I also believe that going the distance for your customers is always beneficial. Everyone wants to feel appreciated and when you do something special for a customer such as offering them a free dessert or an appetizer. The customer will most likely remember that positive experience and will want to return again to your establishment. After all, you only have one chance to make a lasting impression in this industry.

9. Any comments you want to share with us?

I would really like to thank my family and friends for supporting me throughout my career.

1. Who are you?

2. What do you like about what you do?
Meeting new customers and providers everyday is the most thrilling part of my job. Enjoying people from all over the world, with different culture, personal history and occupations. It is really enriching as you have to greet them according to their own traditions, yet they all have to be satisfied and ensure to make them come back.

3. What don’t you like about what you do?
That I am not able to meet all the clients, even though our team is dedicated to make their stay the most enjoyable one, I would like to see them all.

4. Please tell us about your hotel and your aims with it?
Hotel BALZAC is a unique property, mixing the traditional decor with contemporary fabrics along with a gourmet restaurant, rated 3-star at Michelin Guide. A stay at the Balzac is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
My goal for the Balzac? Make it one of the best hotels in Paris, reaching the top 20 in 2010. We can make it.

5. Are you working with blogs and if yes, what is your favourite blog?
Not that much actually except my friends’ ones.
I truly think this is a great medium and I will create one for the Balzac for sure.

6. Your TOP 3 hotel experiences:
Oriental in Bangkok; tradition and excellence
Montage in Laguna Beach : the best Californian experience ever
Eden Roc on French Riviera: perfection in service and view on the Mediterranean sea

7. Your TOP 3 destination experiences:
Provence, as everything there seemed to have been especially created for hapiness
sia, especially Thaïland for its culture and the kindness of its people
California:  from San Francisco to Los Angeles, the true American dream

8. Your TOP 3 food and/or beverage experiences:
- Restaurant Pierre GAGNAIRE, inside the Hotel, one of the 3 best restaurant in the world
- Mon Vieil Ami, gourmet bistrot in the heart of Ile Saint-Louis in Paris
- Rosticceria Fiorentina in Roma : genuine, simple, perfect

9. Can you offer possible readers 3 things they absolutely need to do/visit/see when visiting your city?
- Champs Elysées
- Ile Saint-Louis
- Trocadéro Gardens

10. Any comments you want to share with us?
Life is short, enjoy every minute of it.

At the top of the Champs-Elysées, this 19th-century elegant mansion is one of the most exceptional landmarks in Paris.

1. Tell us about yourself?

2. Tell us about your daily life at work and what you like about it?
I enjoy dealing with customers, meeting people from all over the world, creating sells, marketing strategies and evaluate the results, organising quality and training programs for the staff.

3. Tell us about your daily life at work and what you don’t like about it?
Dealing with complaints…
It´s the best source of information and improvement. A satisfied client after a complaint will turn into your best client, however, most of the times it is not funny.

4. Tell us about your hotel and your aims with it?
Hotel Omm is a design hotel with a great location in the city center. The hotel is targeted to modern people who are looking for a different type hotel very much differentiated to the classic, traditional 5 star urban hotel.

Moo, our restaurant has a star Michelin, assessed by the Roca brothers of Celler de Can Roca in Girona (two star Michelin restaurant). To have a restaurant like this has some risks due to the high staff ratio you need in order to provide to your clientele the good service required in such type of Restaurant.

Besides the gastronomic restaurant, the lobby area is always the place to go when you are in Barcelona. The lobby is always busy with business people from the city, some other are having a cocktail and relaxing after work, clients of the Hotel enjoying the nice atmosphere and doing plans for their next visits in the city. There is always interesting people around. We program live elegant concerts, dj music late at night and we could probably say that there’s always people around due to the cafeteria Restaurant is opened from 13h to 1h.

Besides the lobby and the Moo Restaurant we have Ommsession which is the night club that is opened till later at night.

We also know how to get relaxed in our Spa, there is full water zone and 10 different cabins with large variety of different treatments.

My aim in this Hotel is to find the right client for this hotel and provide them with the right service.

5. Are you working with blogs and if yes, what is your favourite blog?
We are still not working with any blogs.
We know about the importance and the impact that it may have for the Hotel that there are people taking time to write about us in internet, as well as the use some other new internet tools such as internet 2.0.

6. Your top 3 hotel experiences?
George V. (Paris), Anantara Bali Resort and the Delano Hotel (Miami).

7. Your top 3 destination experiences?
Bangkok, San Francisco, Berlin.

8. your top 3 food and/or beverage experiences?
El Bulli (Girona), Astrance (Paris), Drolma (Barcelona)

9. Can you offer possible readers 3 things they absolutely need to do/visit/see when visiting your city?
Walk around Gothic quartier, Shopping in Paseo de Gracia, Visit Gaudi buildings.

10. Any comments you want to share with us?
Stay in your favourite hotel but come to enjoy Barcelona, is a city worth travelling to.

Hotel OMM is situated in the city center of Barcelona, in the midst of the great shops of Passeig de Gracia. A hotel that lives amongst the people of Barcelona.
OMM is the result of the work-collaboration between architect Juli Capella and interior designers Sandra Tarruella and Isabel Lopez.

Roger Crisp from the Good Motoring Magazine checks in to  The Ring Hotel.

Thomas Seifried, Chef de Cuisine, about the award: “I am very proud and happy that Gault Millau awarded us with a toque. It shows that we are going into the right direction. What made me most happy is that the testers said there is even more to expect in the next years!”

The menu offers all kinds of excellent dishes. An example of which is: a Bean Sprouts and Lemon Balm Crisp Role with Mountain Pepper Vegetables and Friesèe Salad or a Steak with an Artichokes-Potato-Chorizogröstl and Red Wine Chilliglace or Cardamom-Biscuit Role with a Marzipan Shake. Products used, mainly originate from biological cultivation and where possible, are from Austria.

“The preparation with essential oils is a very sensitive work because one has to work with very little amounts and this art of cooking is very rare. Therefore we had a lot of testing in advance. The art of aroma cooking, as we are calling it, is dependent on excellent products, from naturally cold pressed oils and to abstain from regular flavors like salt. The dishes are low in fat and by using the different essential oils, a positive health effect is guaranteed. There are different positive effects like a better digestion and reducing the fat of the body,” Thomas Seifried explains.

Mr. Thomas Seifried, Chef de Cuisine, began his career as an apprentice and then as a young cook at the Hotel Lärchenhof in Tirol. During 2004 he started work at the Grand Hotel Vienna as a Sous Chef in the restaurant “Le Ciel”.

“The concept of the “at eight” immediately got me because it’s up to date and represents the health mentality perfectly. The great variety of different herbs and essential oils offers endless possibilities regarding preparation and decoration of the dishes,” says Mr. Seifried.

The wine cellar of the restaurant is exceptional and can offer over 700 bottles of International and Austrian class wines and champagne! A table placed in the centre of the room offers the opportunity to sample the wine in a Professional and pleasent atmosphere.

Questions and Photos
Céline Brigg, Public Relations & Communications Manager
Tel: +43 1 515 80-761 oder cbrigg@jjwhotels.com
Presslounge under www.theringhotel.com

The network of sites is linked directly from the highly visible main site www.theringhotel.com . Each site focuses on a specific customer group.

- At Eight Restaurant is served by website www.ateight-restaurant.com for local and international visitors to Vienna seeking the unique culinary experience that is ‘aroma cuisine’.

- Drings Bar a trendy hotspot popular after work crowd and hotel guests is well presented by the site www.dring-bar.com

- The newly created Ring Day Spa offerings are readily available to local luxury spa seekers in the site www.theringdayspa.com

- Considered a ‘digital concierge’ for hotel guests as well as visitors to the city, the Best of Vienna site www.best-of-vienna.com is an exceptional, visually engaging – easy to use – guide to 100 of Vienna’s top attractions, nightlight, restaurants, shopping and cultural spots.

…. To read more, please click here