MaMaison Hotel Pachtuv Palace, Prague hosts ghoulish Halloween party
On Wednesday, the hallowed halls of MaMaison’s Pachtuv Palace were awash with a somewhat somber pall. Ghouls, goblins and ghosts all gathered to celebrate a night of dark and devilish entertainment!
The venue for MaMaison’s Halloween Party was a vacant restaurant adjacent to Pachtuv Palace. It was transformed into a spooky graveyard, with dead leaves littering the floor, cobwebs clinging to the rafters, and even a cage with live rats! In one corner a huge projector screen flickered ominously between classic horror scenes; and in another, a deathly DJ rattled off a macabre mix of music more suited to a Transylvanian Castle, than downtown Prague.
First place in the best costume competition went to Ms. Lucie Loučková from Panalpina Czech s.r.o. Her wicked witch costume earned her a weekend stay at then newly opened 5star MaMaison Pokrovka Suite Hotel, Moscow.
Second place went to Spanish colonial princess, Ms. Marketa Kopalova, of Move One Relocations, who won a weekend stay in a MaMaison hotel of her choice.
“Everyone likes an opportunity to dress up!” says JJ Doran, MaMaison Hotels & Apartments Director of Sales & Marketing. “I was delighted to see how many of our guests had made such an effort with their costumes this year. We had witches, wizards, ladybugs, Venetian princesses, and even one man who had dressed up as a table, complete with crockery and cutlery! MaMaison will always look to host interesting events at culturally significant times of the year. We feel it is a very nice way to give something back to our friends and partners. Last night was such a success that I am already looking forward to this time next year, when we can raise a few more spirits!”
History and Customs of Hallowe’en
The holiday:
The word ‘Hallowe’en’ has its origin in the Catholic Church: “All Hallow Eve.” November 1st, “All Hollow Day” or “All Saint Day”, is a Catholic day of observance in honour of saints. Back in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, October 31st was when summer officially ended, therefore this holiday was also called Samhain (Celtic New Year).
Dressing up in costumes:
One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living. Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up
in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily parade around the neighbourhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.
ENDS
Notes for editors:
MaMaison Hotels & Apartments is a brand of ORCO Property Group, operating all hospitality products. These products are the most luxurious of their kind and excel in design originality and high levels of service. Some MaMaison Hotels & Apartments properties belong to the very prestigious group, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Hotels & Preference and Warwick International Hotels. MaMaison Hotels & Apartments is a new brand, established by the union of two hospitality divisions, MaMaison Residences and ORCO Hotels Collection. This brand currently operates the following properties in Central Europe:
Prague (Czech Republic):
- MaMaison Pachtuv Palace (www.pachtuvpalace.com)
- MaMaison Riverside Hotel (www.riversideprague.com)
- MaMaison Residence Belgicka (www.residence-belgicka.com )
Ostrava (Czech Republic):
- MaMaison Imperial Hotel (www.imperial.cz)
Bratislava (Slovakia):
- MaMaison Residence Sulekova (www.residence-sulekova.com)
Warsaw (Poland):
- MaMasion Le Regina (www.leregina.com)
- MaMaison Residence Diana (www.residencediana.com)
Katowice Bielsko-Biala (Poland)
- MaMaison Parkhotel Vienna (www.vienna.pl)
Budapest (Hungary):
- MaMaison Andrassy Hotel (www.andrassyhotel.com)
- MaMaison Residence Izabella (www.residence-izabella.com)
Moscow (Russia):
- MaMaison Pokrovka Suite Hotel (www.pokrovka-moscow.com). NOW OPEN!
Orco Property Group is a leading investor, developer and asset manager in the Central European real estate and hospitality market, currently managing assets of approximately EUR 2.5 billion, as estimated on 30.6.2007. Operating in Central Europe since 1991, Orco Property Group is a public company, based in Luxembourg, and listed on the Euronext, Prague, Warsaw and Budapest Stock Exchanges. Orco Property
Group’s portfolio includes, IPB Real, MaMaison Hotels & Apartments, Viterra Development, Gewerbesiedlungs-Gesellschaft mbH (GSG), Orco Real Estate, Orco MOLCOM and other retail properties. Orco Property Group operates in a number of countries including, mainly, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Croatia, Germany and Slovakia. Orco Property Group is continually analysing investment into new territories.
Orco Property Group is also sponsor and manager of The Endurance Real Estate Fund, a Luxembourg–regulated, closed–end and umbrella fund with four sub-funds focused on real estate acquisitions on office and retail, office class A, residential and hospitality markets.
More information on: www.orcogroup.com
For further information, please, contact Best Communications Group:
CZ Darina Miklovicova, darina.miklovicova@bestcg.com, Tel: +420 257 532 030
ENG Brendan Donnellan, brendan.donnellan@bestcg.com Tel: +420 257 532 030