Small businesses in Hungary feel pinch as utility bills soar

STORY: Small businesses in Hungary feel pinch as utility bills soar DATELINE: Nov. 4, 2022 LENGTH: 00:05:57 LOCATION: UROM, Hungary CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of bakery shop and bakery products on shelves 2. various of dairy products and soft drinks in refrigerators 3. various of price list 4. various of owner showing energy bills 5. various of owner arranging bakery products 6. SOUNDBITE (Hungarian): MARGIT KISS, Bakery owner 7. various of Hungarian Parliament building in downtown Budapest 8. various of traffic in downtown Budapest 9. various of Buda Castle 10. various of tourists in Buda Castle district 11. various of street view of recently closed Danubius Hotel Hungaria City Center in downtown Budapest STORYLINE: Small companies in Hungary are struggling to make ends meet amid soaring utility bills, especially for electricity and gas. Margit Kiss, 42, mother of two and the owner of the Kiss Bakery in Urom, a suburb of Budapest, is among them. While speaking to Xinhua, she received a deliv

HUNGARY-BUDAPEST-ENERGY CRISIS-HOTEL CLOSED

HUNGARY-BUDAPEST-ENERGY CRISIS-HOTEL CLOSED

(221101) -- BUDAPEST, Nov. 1, 2022 (Xinhua) -- People pass by Danubius Hotel Hungaria City Center in Budapest, Hungary, on Nov. 1, 2022. The European energy crisis is coming straight at Hungary's largest hotel: the 499-room Danubius Hotel Hungaria City Center will be closed for four months starting on Tuesday. TO GO WITH "Energy crisis forces Hungary's largest hotel to close for winter" (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

HUNGARY-BUDAPEST-ENERGY CRISIS-HOTEL CLOSED

HUNGARY-BUDAPEST-ENERGY CRISIS-HOTEL CLOSED

(221101) -- BUDAPEST, Nov. 1, 2022 (Xinhua) -- Danubius Hotel Hungaria City Center is seen in Budapest, Hungary, on Nov. 1, 2022. The European energy crisis is coming straight at Hungary's largest hotel: the 499-room Danubius Hotel Hungaria City Center will be closed for four months starting on Tuesday. TO GO WITH "Energy crisis forces Hungary's largest hotel to close for winter" (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

HUNGARY-BUDAPEST-ENERGY CRISIS-HOTEL CLOSED

HUNGARY-BUDAPEST-ENERGY CRISIS-HOTEL CLOSED

(221101) -- BUDAPEST, Nov. 1, 2022 (Xinhua) -- Danubius Hotel Hungaria City Center is seen with the statement on its website announcing its temporary closure in Budapest, Hungary, on Nov. 1, 2022. The European energy crisis is coming straight at Hungary's largest hotel: the 499-room Danubius Hotel Hungaria City Center will be closed for four months starting on Tuesday. TO GO WITH "Energy crisis forces Hungary's largest hotel to close for winter" (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

HUNGARY-BUDAPEST-ENERGY CRISIS-HOTEL CLOSED

HUNGARY-BUDAPEST-ENERGY CRISIS-HOTEL CLOSED

(221101) -- BUDAPEST, Nov. 1, 2022 (Xinhua) -- Danubius Hotel Hungaria City Center is seen in Budapest, Hungary, on Nov. 1, 2022. The European energy crisis is coming straight at Hungary's largest hotel: the 499-room Danubius Hotel Hungaria City Center will be closed for four months starting on Tuesday. TO GO WITH "Energy crisis forces Hungary's largest hotel to close for winter" (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

HUNGARY-BUDAPEST-ENERGY CRISIS-HOTEL CLOSED

HUNGARY-BUDAPEST-ENERGY CRISIS-HOTEL CLOSED

(221101) -- BUDAPEST, Nov. 1, 2022 (Xinhua) -- Danubius Hotel Hungaria City Center is seen in Budapest, Hungary, on Nov. 1, 2022. The European energy crisis is coming straight at Hungary's largest hotel: the 499-room Danubius Hotel Hungaria City Center will be closed for four months starting on Tuesday. TO GO WITH "Energy crisis forces Hungary's largest hotel to close for winter" (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

Energy crisis forces Hungary's largest hotel to close for winter

STORY: Energy crisis forces Hungary's largest hotel to close for winter DATELINE: Nov. 2, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:02 LOCATION: Budapest CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the hotel exterior from the street STORYLINE: The European energy crisis is coming straight at Hungary's largest hotel. The 499-room Danubius Hotel Hungaria City Center will be closed for four months starting on Tuesday. According to a statement on its website, the hotel in the heart of Budapest will reopen on Feb. 28. The main reason behind the temporary closure is the difficulty in efficiently running such a big hotel in winter in an overall gloomy economic situation. The hotel has informed its guests of the closure and relocated its staff. The hotel has been struggling with high utility bills since Aug. 1 when the government released an amendment to the relevant legislation, asking businesses to pay market prices for gas and electricity. Although the Hungarian government has capped energy prices for households up to the "nation