References
BALÁZS KOVÁCS
Chief Executive Officer, Danubius Hotels
After Peter Knoll, then director of Gundel, took over the management of the restaurant, our common goal was to dust off the brand and relaunch Gundel, keeping its traditions but with a new twenty-first century direction, in terms of its communication as well. To achieve this, we sought a professional who not only had experience and a proven track record but also style. This is how Barbara came into the picture. Among the things she’s well-known for is when she believes in something, she puts her heart and soul into it. Since Gundel is a brand that is more than just a restaurant—it’s rather a Hungarian gastronomic legend, a historic family legacy—we felt Barbara was the right choice and we were not disappointed in our decision. During her time at Gundel, she helped transform its image and organized events that resulted in the restaurant being actively present in the media, making the brand a topic of conversation again and setting it off in the new direction we had hoped for.
SAMEER HAMDAN and ZUHAIR AWAD
Owners, Mellow Mood Group
In 2012, Mellow Mood Group started operating the five-star Buddha-Bar Hotel Budapest Klotild Palace. During that time, it was the jewel of the group, its most elegant hotel. Since the Buddha-Bar brand was not widely known in Hungary at the time, we asked Barbara, as director of marketing and communications, to make the hotel and its restaurant well-known and popular as quickly as possible. With her extensive network of contacts, Barbara invited a number of public figures to the restaurant and hotel events. In a short amount of time, these guests actively contributed to Buddha-Bar becoming the buzz of the city. She also coordinated our entry into the competition for Best International Hotel Interior. Winning the award was a major recognition for the hotel.
TAMÁS FAZEKAS
Director, New York Palace Hotel
Before working with Barbara, I had mixed feelings about PR as the director of the Buddha-Bar Hotel. Working together changed my mind because Barbara, as the director of marketing and communications, showed me how effective direct hotel sales can be when it’s supported by strong communications and media presence.
GÁBOR GUNDEL TAKÁCS
Gundel family descendant
I’ve always felt that Gundel restaurant had a special place in Barbara’s heart. She has thoughts and plans. She’s enthusiastic and creative. My family’s spiritual heritage was in good hands with her because she understood its importance. I am grateful for what she’s done for Gundel and the Gundel family.
ATTILA ÁRPA
Producer
When I was looking for locations for the second part of Argo, the Buddha-Bar Hotel came to mind. This is how I got back in touch with Barbara, who was the hotel’s marketing director at the time. (Previously, we worked together at the Parádsasvár Castle Hotel on a television show.) She was very proficient in meeting production requests and was able to effectively conduct a complex task that immensely benefited the film crew, that is, letting a film shoot in the middle of a hotel while it stayed fully operational.
ZSÓFIA RÁDULY
Project Manager
Barbara made me fall in love with the hotel communications profession. I was lucky to be able to work with her as a member of the opening team at the Buddha-Bar Hotel Budapest Klotild Palace, which was my first job after hospitality school in Lausanne, Switzerland. In addition to being a consistent, collected, and proficient communications professional from whom I’ve learned a lot, Barbara had a distinctly dynamic and intuitive work ethic that made working with her extremely enjoyable. Barbara is full of innovative ideas. She is not afraid to ask the difficult questions in order to implement a truly creative and well-though-out concept. I consider her a mentor to this day.