In the 16 years since the Velvet Revolution, Prague has undergone extensive renovation and renewal, and no longer looks or feels like the Communist-dominated city it once was. Buildings have been cleaned, revealing gorgeous architectural details, and people's moods have brightened. Perhaps the most dramatic evidence of the shift is on the main shopping streets, where you'll see names such as Hugo Boss, Dior, and Vuitton. Interspersed are cafés with bright white tablecloths, chandeliers, and smartly dressed wait staff.

At the Corinthia Towers, the service was flawless. Corinthia Hotels, a 40-year-old, Malta-based company with 20 hotels in 11 destinations, has just begun to target the MICE market in the United States. In Prague, the company has two properties suitable for groups, the five-star Corinthia Towers and the four-star Corinthia Panorama.

Corinthia Towers has 544 rooms. Guests on the three executive floors have a separate check-in and concierge and access to the executive lounge, which serves an impressive breakfast buffet and afternoon cocktails and hors d'oeuvres — all complimentary. A communications room offers free Internet access. Executive-floor guests also have free access to the 25th-floor health club. Corinthia Towers has two floors of meeting space; the largest ballroom accommodates 700 people for receptions.

The 450-room Corinthia Panorama also offers special amenities on its three executive floors and seven meeting rooms, accommodating up to 400 people for receptions.

For off-site events, the Municipal House, an art nouveau gem dating from 1912, has both casual and formal restaurants, plus concert halls.

There's a wide range of choices for sightseeing tours. Prague Castle (the name refers to an historic area, not just one building) includes a palace, three churches, a monastery, and gardens. Other highlights are St. Vitus' Cathedral, The Jewish Quarter, and the dramatic 14th-century Charles Bridge, lined with statues of saints.