SEVEN BUILDINGS seems to me like seven children

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4 SEVEN BUILDINGS seems to me like seven children And there is even more of number seven, as President of the developing company Waldeck Capital, Thomas Smit devoted seven years of his life to building the Augustine Hotel Prague. As a renowned developer he would welcome more understanding from the authorities. Already at the first glance it is obvious that the reconstruction of buildings where the Augustine is located, was very difficult. Where did you operate before you came to Prague? We developed and co-developed, as well as financed and co financed, developments in Turkey, Portugal, Greece, the UK, the Caribbean and the USA. Our business was diverse and at one stage we even co-owned a multi-storey car park in Bangkok. We ve been specialising almost exclusively in hotels since the early 90 s, but since the late 90 s our focus changed to the luxury hotel sector only. What did you think when you first heard about the possibility to develop this project in Prague? We were introduced to the project in 2003, but it was clear from the start that it was going to be nearly impossible to complete to our standards. However in 2004 we reviewed our strategy and we rented some of the buildings from the Augustinian Order. We were already spending about CZK 1mn per month in Prague at the end of This was even before we had all the consents or had selected the final operator of the hotel. Throughout, we were determined to make the development a premium luxury hotel, despite fierce opposition from the various Prague authorities. Did it turn out how you expected or was the reality even worse? It s difficult for a perfectionist to explain better or worse. Everything is always worse and can be better! After infinite mishaps and preparation of tens of concept studies, budgets and contracts, at the end we presented the concept to the local planning authority - 17 council members in favour with 1 abstention. Unheard of! Because of the historical significance of the buildings we could not apply almost any standard technology or systems, so for example the solution for heating, ventilation systems and fire-extinguishing technology is a triumph of human ingenuity. The place is linked to the Order of St. Augustine. What do you think about this connection? The Order was already established here for more than a century by the time Charles Bridge was built (Editor s note: construction commenced in 1357). The Augustinian monastery is an important part of Prague s rich history. Incidentally, I knew a similar monastery in the city of Goa in India where the Portuguese branch of the Order brought the plans in 16th century and built almost identical building-with a clock tower that is identical to the one at Mala Strana. This fact clearly demonstrates the global influence of the Catholic architecture. Regarding the architecture and design, who is the author of the reconstruction and concept? Didn t you consider co-operation with a local architect? The 7 buildings span 4 architectural periods; the oldest buildings date back to the 13th century and the youngest one will be 3 years old in May. It s like having 7 children- each different, with its own and distinct character and charm. In return I wanted these building to receive maximum care; therefore I ensured an experienced team of consultants and engineers from the UK, France, Italy, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Martin Kotik was the architect of record, leading figure in the planning stage was Scottish interior designer Alan Frazer and the guiding light for the interior design was Olga Polizzi, Sir Rocco s sister.

5 The hotel is also equipped with cubistic furniture. Czechs consider Cubism as very original and kind of theirs, it had strong roots in the Czech Republic and Middle Europe at its time. Do guests react to the quite unusual cubistic design? Cubism is very distinctive and of course the Czech Republic is very well known for this. Guest feedback is very positive and quite a few even purchase such a furniture or decoration. So, overall, incorporating Cubism in the design was a good idea. How do you personally like cubistic furniture? Cubism can be almost extreme. It fits well into Czech Republic. The chairs in the St. Thomas Brewery Bar are amazingly comfortable, despite how they look. We had a party there with the whole team including our Austrian partner, Raiffeisen evolution prior to the hotel opening. We sat on the chairs until 2 am in the morning and were all quite surprised how comfortable they were. Looks can be deceiving and Cubism is no exception. Whilst you were building the hotel, what clients did you think of? The answer is very easy. Prague is a very beautiful, romantic, cultural, historical and sophisticated place. The hotel was built for such type of guests. They are typically financially secure, middle aged, but on each side of the demographic scale. Did your assumptions turn out to be as expected or did you get other types of clients? This is an important question that deserves a proper answer. We are living in unprecedented times and, of course, we would be more pleased if we could have all our guests like the ones I describe above. But Prague is a favourite destination with very strong currency and high taxation of our services and this makes life difficult for us. But we are one of only 3 truly luxury hotels in Prague and together we have less than 400 room nights. Prague City and the Government as a whole should make life easier for us, because hospitality is a great job creator and attracts quality guests who subsequently increase income from tourism in general. Prague is one of Europe s most beautiful cities. It reminds me of a huge chocolate box full of assortment and no matter how many times I come to Prague, I m always surprised, it always conjures up a different mood. We must remember that the higher quality guest we will have, the higher quality traveller Prague gets. It is not clever to promote this amazing city as a place for stag parties and hen nights. The biggest billboard, one of the first on the way from the airport, promotes a sex club! This is not Prague! Prague is totally different and we know it, but what benefit is there for its citizens respectively the whole nation, when responsible people allow this type of promotion? If you were a city councillor, how would you argument removing such billboard? The Augustine Hotel received more than 10 international awards and nominations and this is really unexpectedly high number. Therefore the hotel is becoming more famous and once the city shakes off part of the not so glamorous past, everyone will benefit. To give you an example: we had Prague s first high profile and traditional Indian wedding in the summer last year. The wedding lasted 5 days, some of the guests came earlier, and some stayed longer. There were about 300 guests who spent unprecedented amount of money in Prague. We were fortunate to host many of the various festivities. But Schengen has such strict Visa requirements, that although we had tremendous support of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and consulates in Dubai, Mumbai and other capitals, more than 200 guests did not make it to Prague in time for the wedding. While we can do more of these events more frequently! How many employees do you have in Prague? This varies depending on the season and number of functions we have, but we always maintain our high standards of excellence in ensuring our guests comfort.

6 What do you think is your biggest advantage in comparison to your competitors? I don t think we have competition, but opposition. It is difficult to compare us with someone in Prague. We mainly have a real haven - so quiet and private and quality of our service is of paramount importance. If you add the history and uniqueness of the buildings, and gardens and the amazing views of Prague, it all makes the Augustine Hotel a must see! I have noticed a large number of photographs. Why is such a place of honour reserved for Lichfield? Czech Republic has world famous photographers and photography is a passion for many Czechs. However, when we re-launched the bar and restaurant, we have decided to bring in works by a famous English photographer, Lord Patrick Lichfield, a cousin of The Queen. Because the hotel is essentially and typically English in values, we felt the photographs would create a special atmosphere. The photographs are installed permanently as we renamed the bar and restaurant in honour of the author. When you look back, what comes to your mind, as the developer, as the president of Waldeck Capital? I gave the Augustine 7 years of my life. I would like to thank not only to my wife, but also to all the people of 23 nationalities and 11 languages with whom I had the honour to cooperate. Would I do it again? My answer is yes. I would do it again my way.