MICE CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE

We talk to Helena Valtrová, Sales manager and Coordinator in Hotel Yasmin, Kosice

1. Your 4-star property Hotel Yasmin is a great conference hotel located in the centre of the city of Košice. Why choose Košice for your MICE event?

I believe that the main reason is to try something new, something that will provide added value to your event. The city is a unique Central European city; it has been voted the European capital of culture of 2013. Aside from the hotel being able to offer a beautiful conference space with a summer garden, we are also able to organise many activities such as a visit to the Tokaj region with wine tasting. It is only about a 45-minute drive from the hotel but can provide unforgettable memories for your guests. Aside from this, there are over 18 UNESCO listed sites less than an hour’s drive from the hotel (such as Spiš Castle – the largest castle complex in the world or the caves – each one unique on its own). I think this is what makes the region of Košice stand out and why it ought to be the next destination on any planners list.

2. What is the story behind Hotel Yasmin in Košice?

We just recently celebrated a 10-year anniversary. The hotel is a full reconstruction of a former hotel called “Hutnik” which dated back to the 1960s and so has existed for many years. The owner himself was born in Košice and lived across the road, and always dreamt that one day he would work here. A couple of decades later he decided to employ a well-established Czech designer, Bara Škorpilová, and the birth of Yasmin was only a few steps away.

3. What kinds of group events can be organised in your hotel? And for how many people?

The hotel has a capacity of 155 rooms – most of which can be converted into twin rooms. Our largest conference space is set up for 300 people. Aside from classical conference/meetings, we can also organise incentive trips (with organised trips within the Košice region), presentations, and team building events – essentially anything that the client needs we can do and organise for them. We are also very well known as a wedding venue.

4. What do you have for corporate and MICE clients? Would you talk a little bit about your facilities for MICE?

The entire hotel has a modern and clean design with attention to detail. We offer standard AV (audio-visual) equipment for all with up to date technology and high-speed internet. All the rooms are spacious and very light as all have large windows facing the summer garden. In this way I truly believe that we make the events great and furthermore, as the meeting rooms are all on a separate floor, we are also able to secure the peace and quiet which is needed for any successful event to take place.

5. Do you have something very special – or what makes what you offer different from other hotels in the region?

I think that the two things that make us stand out from the rest are the natural light and design features that are typical for the whole hotel, not just the conference facilities. The other, equally as important, is the summer terrace that we can make available for the attendees as well. I myself know how valuable the possibility of fresh air during meetings is. With our summer terrace, we can organise a coffee break here or at least make it available for anybody to just sit in a lounge chair and drink their coffee taking in the fresh air.

6. Where are most of your hotel guests coming from? Specifically, from which foreign countries? Have you seen this change in recent years?

Most of our guests are coming from Slovakia and the Czech Republic, but we have seen an increase in the number of guests from Hungary and in recent years from China as well as Asia in general – but I believe this to be the trend everywhere in Europe.

7. Could you tell us about a MICE event that you have organised recently which stood out in terms of being particularly interesting, special, or very successful?

It is very difficult for me to pinpoint just one as I take all our events as such. All events where the clients leave happy having had a meeting that fulfilled their needs and expectations is, in our eyes, a successful meeting. If I had to choose one, I would probably point out the wedding exhibition that we organised ourselves. We set up the lobby, the restaurant, and the summer garden as if there was a large wedding, invited people from the region in collaboration with people such as wedding agencies, wedding photographers, decorators etc. In this way, we were able to present to all what their wedding could be like at the Yasmin hotel. It was very successful as we saw a dramatic increase in wedding bookings for the hotel for the next year.

The fun one that will always stay in my mind was also a classical corporate event (the majority of attendees were female) where the organisers decided to finish this event with a beautiful fashion show.