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NH HOTELES OPENS NHUBE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN GERMANY

February 2, 2006 on 7:02 pm | In Gourmet, Travel, _english |

A SPACE DESIGNED WITH FERRAN ADRIÀ

NH Hoteles’ first “nhube” in Germany is an area that combines a restaurant with lounge areas and a cafeteria, and is located in the NH Frankfurt Airport

The famous Spanish chef, Ferran Adrià, has designed a simple, high-quality menu, that is served in an original way

Customers will be able to eat, relax, read, listen to music, watch television and surf the internet in a multi-functional area

Madrid, 2nd of February 2005.- NH Hoteles (www.nh-hoteles.com) is opening a “nhube” concept at the NH Frankfurt Airport. “Nhube” is an area, first of its kind in the hotel industry that combines restaurant and cafeteria, leisure and relaxation services for the chain’s customers. After the success of this concept in Spain and Austria, the company has decided to implement it in Germany.

This is the fifth “nhube” brought into operation by NH Hoteles. It has involved an investment of € 622,000. The chain opened its first “nhube” in the NH Balboa in Madrid (Spain) in 2003. During 2004 NH Hoteles has extended this concept to new hotels at the NH Cartagena (Murcia/Spain); at the NH San Sebastián de los Reyes (Madrid/Spain); and at the NH Vienna Airport (Austria).

NH Hoteles, together with the world famous chef Ferran Adrià, who has been nominated by The New York Times and Le Monde “The most innovative chef in present-day cuisine” and “The best cook in the world”, are the creators of the idea of the “nhube” gastronomic menu.

This new “nhube” offers customers a multi-functional area where one can chat, watch television, surf the internet, put on and listen to music, at the same time as eating, drinking or relaxing. This new concept revolutionises the “classical” idea of a restaurant by unifying the areas used for restaurant and leisure in the NH hotels. This turns “nhube” into a very comfortable environment which combines a lounge, a dining room, a bar and cafeteria and even a library.

The “nhube” menu offers a choice of simple cuisines, using top-quality raw materials, in an original presentation, all bearing the stamp of Ferran Adrià. The menu allows us to eat what Ferran Adrià “eats at home”, dishes such as boiled green asparagus with hot mayonnaise, breaded breast of chicken with tarragon sauce and french fries or creme brulee.

The decoration keeps to the conventional line of the other “nhube” and is a mixture of neutral colours and natural fabrics in different atmospheres. Colours ranging from beige to dark browns, using orange to give an elegant and at the same time modern note. The fabrics chosen include in particular cotton, raffia and bamboo, mixed with silks, velvet and leather, which makes for a sophisticated atmosphere. The design of the furniture is very special and helps to give each different area its distinctive look. Finally, lighting combines built-in halogen lamps in the ceiling with indirect lights, lamp stands and wall lights, as well as built-in floor lights, which creates a magical, completely innovative atmosphere. This has achieved a friendly area that very much fits the needs of NH Hoteles’ business customers.

NH Hoteles is continuing to expand the “nhube” and has plans to open a further 12 new establishment in Spain, Mexico, the Netherlands and Germany during 2005.

ABOUT NH HOTELES

The NH Hoteles Group (www.nh-hoteles.com), after the acquisition of the Dutch Krasnapolsky hotel chain in July 2000, the Mexican hotel chain Krystal in June 2001 and the German Astron hotels in February 2002, ranks third in the European ranking for business hotels. NH Hoteles has 240 hotels with more than 34,000 rooms in 18 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. NH Hotels currently has 30 projects for new hotels under construction, which shall entail more than 4,000 new rooms.

The acquisition of the German hotel chain Astron has meant NH Hoteles’ consolidation in Europe, as Astron was the third most important operator in urban hotels in Germany. NH Hoteles stands out in quality both as regards services and facilities, with very carefully thought out decoration, intended to please all tastes, uniform, and making the customer feel comfortable. NH Hoteles’ establishments offer the most advanced technologies designed to facilitate the customer’s communication as well as his work and leisure.

The restaurants form another priority for hotels in the chain, offering customers first-rate cuisine. Furthermore, the prestigious restaurateur Ferran Adrià, creator of El Bulli restaurant, has entered into an association with NH Hoteles, launching new concepts such as “nhube”, pioneering spaces in the hotel sector combining food, leisure and rest for the chain’s customers, and “Fast Good”.

The NH Hoteles Group is listed on the Stock Exchanges of Madrid (in the selective Ibex 35 Index) and Amsterdam, in Euronext. Furthermore, NH Hoteles is a member of Stoxx Europe 600, including the best European companies. Also, NH Hoteles is included in the prestigious Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) securities index.

ABOUT FERRAN ADRIÀ

Since the age of 18, when by pure chance, he began working as a chef’s assistant in a small hotel, Ferran Adrià has never ceased to win critical acclaim in the restaurant world. In 1984, he was already the director of the kitchen in El Bulli, and since then, with Julio Soler, the restaurant’s manager at that time, he has been committed to developing restaurant services in a new, different direction. They worked together towards developing a truly different and new culinary style during 1985, 86, 87, and 88. In 1995 they set up catering headquarters in Barcelona under the name of El Bulli Catering, raising the level of quality and prestige in banqueting services to new heights. The Casino de Madrid is the best example of El Bulli Catering in the capital.
Ferran Adrià, an advisor to leading quality brands, always undertakes new projects with tenacity, an innovative spirit, and enthusiasm, and hence, his image linked to top companies always ensures spectacular results. The nerve centre of his activities is the Bulli Taller in Barcelona headed by Albert Adrià. The seeds of all his projects are always germinated in this “workshop”, which mainly focuses on creating and testing new dishes, techniques, recipes and concepts for each new season.
Ferran Adrià is one of the greatest exponents of global cuisine, awarded the highest recognition in restaurant guides and other national prizes, plus a long list of other acknowledgements and has published several books, including “El Bulli Mediterranean Flavour”, the “Secrets of El Bulli”, and “The Desserts of El Bulli” by Albert Adrià. He has also been interviewed by leading journalists.