The Augustine
Waldeck Capital as the developer of The Augustine, which is being touted as Europe's most beautiful luxury hotel, has handed over the keys of the property to operator The Rocco Forte Collection, ahead of the hotel's opening on 14 May 2009.
Since the opening the hotel already obtained five prestigious awards:
The Augustine has been named the Best Hotel, Czech Republic in the Europe & Africa Property Awards 2009 in association with CNBC Arabiya.
The results were revealed on October 16th at a gala presentation dinner at The Marriott Hotel in London’s Grosvenor Square.
The Augustine also won 2nd place at the Hotel Property Award at the Hotel Forum, the European hotel development conference for hotel and real estate professionals. This award is targeted to a hotel property distinguishing itself from its competitors in terms of a harmonious concept of architecture, design and innovation.
Tom’s Bar received the INTERIOR DESIGN OF THE YEAR award in the category Café, Bar, Nightclub or Lounge. This award was presented at The European Hotel Design Awards at the London Hilton on Park Lane on 2 November 2009.
On November 12th, 2009 The Augustine won 1st place in the “Hotels” category of the Best of Realty 2009 competition, the most prestigious property development competition in the Czech Republic.
On November 25th, The Augustine received an award for Best Hotel at The CIJ Awards Czech Republic, a five-city series of awards organised by CEE CIJ (Central & Eastern European Construction & Investment Journal) as the leading property magazine in Central and Eastern Europe.
Furthermore, The Augustine has been among the 3 finalists nominated for the prestigious MIPIM award in the Hotels & Tourism Resorts category.
The Augustine is situated in the historical Lesser Town of Prague (known as Malá Strana), within a stone's throw of the Charles Bridge, just below Prague Castle and next door to the famous Wallenstein Gardens. This spectacular 101-room hotel has been created from a complex of six historic buildings, including a former brewery and the 13th century Augustinian St Thomas's Monastery, after which the hotel is named.
The monastery provides the hotel with a picturesque setting of established courtyards and elegant garden squares, while retaining certain areas for the practising Augustinian monks who remain in situ. Key historic features such as cloistered terraces, wooden ceilings, wine vaults and stone arches have been incorporated into the hotel's design.
The interiors of The Augustine have been created by London-based interior designers RDD, overseen by The Rocco Forte Collection's Director of Design Olga Polizzi, and, reflect the hotel's wonderful location as well as the building's strong history. In this particular case, the design has a distinct ecclesiastical feel, with heavy linens and velvets used in papal-inspired shades of purple, red and orange.
The positioning of the property in the Lesser Town could not be better. It is ideal for both business and leisure travellers, being within walking distance of Prague's commercial district, the Czech Parliament and Senate, embassies, shopping areas, entertainment facilities and key historical sites, such as the Charles Bridge and Wallenstein Gardens, where classical open-air concerts are held between April and October.
Read more about the project development on a special website. www.rfhprague.com
5 May 2009
Waldeck Capital Hands over the Keys of The Augustine
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4 February 2008
Photographs from the Naming Ceremony
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16 January 2008
Prague Post interview with Thomas Smit
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November 2007
Article in Leaders Magazine regarding the Naming Ceremony (November 2007)
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