bthere: Inflight Magazine Brussels Airlines

Our round-up of what’s happening in the business world across Europe

Text Boyd Farrow

Table hopping

Business lunch

Prague: For a hearty lunch in one of the prettiest mid-winter destinations, head for the restaurant atop the Hotel U Prince (29 Staromestské Námestí, tel. +420 224 213807, hoteluprince.cz), south of the famous clock tower in Old Town Square in Staré Mesto. The restaurant offers a choice of a large panelled dining room with chandeliers – the perfect place for not being overheard – or a rooftop terrace under canvas, with comfortable chairs and excellent heating.

A wide range of dishes is available, including teriyaki, steaks and seafood. The lemon sole, served with mixed green salad, fresh dill and mustard seed vinegar, is a signature dish. The view from the terrace – not to mention the opportunity to smoke your post-deal-clinching cigar – is reason enough to make a reservation.

Business dinner

Frankfurt: If your meeting in Frankfurt has over-run or you just don’t feel like eating alone, you should check out Sushi Circle (84 Neue Mainzer Strasse, tel. +49 (0)69 9139 9302), a very centrally located sushi bar near the Alter Oper and Fressgass that serves great sushi on a conveyor belt until 11pm (midnight on Friday and Saturday). There’s no waiting (think conveyor belt combined with German efficiency) and sake is, after all, better for your waistline than beer. There are another two Sushi Circles in Frankfurt, four in Berlin and a couple in Munich.

A good night’s sleep in… Athens Should business take you to Athens, check out the funky new Fresh Hotel (26 Sofokleous Street, tel. +30 210 524 8511, freshhotel.gr). It’s a stylish destination, all curves, different coloured light bulbs and plastic furniture, but it’s also ready for business. Located in the business district, Fresh Hotel has three conference rooms, each with natural light, an array of audiovisual kit, a business centre and secretarial support. The hotel’s Orange Bar serves locally sourced food and is a popular post-office meeting place for Athenian go-getters. The best part, however, is the splendid view from the rooftop pool.

ONE TO WATCH

Easily accessible summit

Anyone wanting to steal a march on their competitors might be interested in attending the fifth European Business Summit (ebsummit.org), being held in Tour & Taxis in Brussels on 15–16 March. This year is a special one for the EU, as Europe will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, and an appropriately starry line-up of business leaders and policy makers has been assembled for the event.

Among those speaking on ‘How to boost business in Europe and Europe in business’ are José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, and Lakshmi Mittal, the colourful chief executive of steel giant Arcelor Mittal. Meanwhile, the session on ‘Globalisation: From stand on to trade off’ will throw together bestselling writer Naomi Klein; Peter Mandelson, the European commissioner for trade; Dominique Reiniche, president of Coca-Cola Europe; Susan Schwab, US trade representative; and Manmohan Singh, the prime minister of India. Last year’s European Business Summit attracted 2,500 participants, and this year’s is expected to be even bigger.

Productivity drive

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Spotlight on…

Hilton Garden Inn
Hilton Hotels has opened its first mid-market business hotel in Italy – the 121-room Hilton Garden Inn Florence Novoli (tel. +39 055 42401) – and is poised to open the 282-room Hilton Garden Inn Rome Airport. Hilton unveiled the new brand in Germany last autumn. Every bedroom contains an oversized work desk with a Mirra Chair by Herman Miller, desk-level outlets and two phones. There is also a high-speed internet connection, a coffeemaker and a fridge in every room. The Italian openings underscore the US company’s strategy to expand its presence in Europe by developing several new, high-class brands.

Pit-stop Madrid

Good news for business travellers seeking a room in Madrid. From the outside, the Petit Palace Embassy Hotel (46 Serrano Street, tel. +34 91 431 3060, petitpalaceembassyhotel.com) indeed looks like the embassy of a small country enlivened by military coups, but inside it is spearheading the technological revolution. Guests staying in its ‘high-tech rooms’ are offered flat-screen PCs with high-speed internet access and a room safe large enough to store laptops in.

The hotel offers business centre facilities – phone, fax and photocopying – and stressed-out guests can also enjoy the use of exercise bicycles to wind down after a long day of business meetings.

CITY LOWDOWN

Milan

ITALY Population: 58,133,509; Currency: Euro; Average temperature (Feb): 3°C

Bed down

The recently refurbished Carlton Hotel Baglioni has retained all its magnificent classical décor. Extras include a fitness centre with Turkish bath as well as a business centre. Situated at the heart of the main fashion district and within a short stroll of the Duomo, the excellent restaurant is a superb place for business meetings. Alternatively, Grand Hotel et de Milan is a historic family-run hotel, once home to Giuseppe Verdi, and the lobby and other rooms still contain many original furniture pieces. Today it attracts business travellers and fashionistas who appreciate its location near the Armani megastore Armani/Via Manzoni 31. The gym is one of the few in the city with natural daylight, and the hotel’s restaurant, the Don Carlos, is among the best in Milan.

The Starhotel Anderson is a terrific value hotel handily located right next to the main railway station. It may not look special from the outside, but inside this hotel is a stylish modern oasis. High-tech rooms allow Wi-fi internet access, but for once the tendency towards minimalist décor does not make them feel cold or clinical.

A taste of the city

Food in Milan is fantastic wherever you go, and the priciest places are not necessarily the best. However, modern interiors and the talent of masterchef Carlo Cracco make Cracco-Peck perfect for important business lunches and dinners. Close to the Duomo, this restaurant has an enormous, expense-account-baiting wine list. Cracco-Peck is linked to the Peck gastronomy emporia on an adjacent street; if you’re tight for time, Peck’s shelves are brimming with perfect gifts like speciality sauces, porcini mushrooms, olive oils and a huge number of wines. Antico Ristorante Boeucc, which opened in 1696, is Milan’s oldest restaurant. It’s located on the ground floor of Palazzo Belgioioso, which dominates the piazza due east of La Scala. The service is superb and the kitchen serves classic Milanese dishes. Those with an eye for fashionable dining should head to Armani/Nobu, housed in the giant white stone Armani/Via Manzoni 31. Watch models playing with black cod in miso sauce or sipping sake with added gold leaf in beautiful surroundings. Reservations essential.

Ideally situated for the Fiera conference and exhibition halls near Piaza Amendola is Sadler Wine & Food, which offers a seductive array of meats, cheeses and dishes using unusual ingredients from carefully selected producers.

More Chianti anyone?

Roialto is one of the hottest post-work spots in town despite its offbeat location near Piazza Firenze. Head here for aperitifs from 6.30pm to 9pm, when you’ll find yourself mixing with an unpretentious crowd. Inspired by the famous Blue Note in New York, Blue Note is a new jazz club in the bohemian Isola area that hosts international stars from Sarah Jane Morris to the Count Basie Orchestra. Book tickets at bluenotemilano.com. Milano is one of the most sophisticated bars in Milan, and housed in what used to be a large customs building at the end of Corso di Porta Ticinese in the canal area is the excellent cocktail bar Le Trottoir alla Darsena , which plays soulful chillout music.

Time off

If you want to see Leonardo da Vinci’s Il Cenacolo (The Last Supper) at the Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie, you must book in advance. If you have less time to kill, go to the Museo Teatrale alla Scala (the La Scala Museum) directly opposite. Highlights here include neoclassical frescoes painted in the newly restored palazzo that houses the museum. There is also the Museo Poldi Pezzoli), a private collection amassed by a 19th-century Milanese nobleman.

Short on time? Head straight upstairs and see Botticelli’s early Virgin and Child and Pollaiolo’s Portrait of a Woman in the Golden Room that overlooks the garden. Walk from here to Via Monte Napoleone for a pick-me-up at Caffè Cova, a Milanese institution.

When the sun shines

The Duomo (Piazza del Duomo) is the world’s largest Gothic cathedral and Milan’s biggest visitor attraction. The massive clean-up and renovation effort has recently been completed, and the glorious façade is fully visible once again. You can visit the magnificent interior and roof – take the stairs instead of the lift and combine your daily workout with your quiet contemplation. Next door is a cathedral to consumerism, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The world’s oldest Prada store has been here since Miuccia’s grandfather set up shop in 1913, and Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Tod’s opened here in 2004. Alternatively, you can people-watch from the lovely Caffè Zucca on the corner of Piazza Duomo. Gucci have also opened a small outdoor café with heater lamps – perfect for those chilly February days.

Honey, you shouldn’t have…

Remember when you’re trying to squeeze some shopping time into your schedule that shops in Milan are closed on Monday mornings; many of those outside the city centre close from 1pm to 3.30pm every day for lunch, but most stay open until 7.30pm.

Milan’s famous Quadrilatero d’Oro (Golden Rectangle) consists of an area including Via della Spiga, Via Manzoni, Via Montenapoleone, Via Sant’Andrea and part of Corso Venezia. All the top designers can be found here, and the area’s compactness means it’s perfect for those on a tight deadline.

A good pit stop for (pricey) gifts is Armani/Via Manzoni 31 on Via Manzoni, which offers a complete selection of Armani goods. More interesting boutiques can be found in the Brera district. Alternatively, try Corso di Porta Ticinese near the canal area, or the Isola area just north of Garibaldi Station. For a distinctive gift, F. Pettinaroli is possibly the world’s nicest place for personalised business cards and note paper.