Lights out for landmark countryside hotel – literally

It seems that a famous name and a central location isn’t quite enough to guarantee success in the hotel business in the Hungarian countryside. According to a report in local daily Hajdú-bihari Napló via privatbankar.hu, last Thursday electricity provider E.ON cut off Debrecen’s famous Aranybika hotel owing to unpaid bills totaling nearly Ft 30 million (roughly €110,000). László Hupuczi, CEO of hotel operator Cívis Hotels Zrt, said that his firm was holding negotiations with E.ON, adding that he thought E.ON’s numbers were not correct, though on Friday, origo.hu reported that the hotel operator would pay the bills. Hupuczi, who has run the company for more than two decades, also was quoted as saying that the company’s woes will likely only be solved through a sale. If you’re thinking of rushing out to Debrecen to bid on “Golden Bull” you might want to bring a flashlight, as this report from Friday said the lights were still off, and unlikely to be turned on until today at the earliest.