March the 14th, 2021 - The Arena Hospitality Group investments keep on going despite the economic woes caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Hotel Brioni with its impressive 227 premium rooms is due to open its doors to guests this summer season.
As Barbara Ban/Novac writes, despite another uncertain tourist season ahead of us, the well known Pula hotel group Arena Hospitality Group (AHG) announced the continuation of its investments and the opening of the completely renovated Hotel Brioni in the beautiful Istrian city of Pula this summer. To complete this investment, this hotel group secured a loan of 180 million kuna back at the end of December 2020.
¨The total investment amounts to 260 million kuna. The opening of Hotel Brioni is scheduled for the summer of this year. Our ambition is to return this facility to its former status of one of the leading luxury hotels on the Adriatic coast. When completed, Hotel Brioni will offer 227 premium rooms on seven floors, three indoor and outdoor pools, a spacious wellness centre with saunas and relaxation rooms, a gym, a children's playground, several restaurants and bars, as well as facilities for meetings and events,¨ announced the CEO of AHG, Reli Slonim, in the company´s annual report.
At the same time, he announced other investments in the upcoming period - in the city hotel in Zagreb, Hotel 88 in Belgrade, which the group bought last year, and in the Pula hotel Riviera.
¨We´re continuing with our investment programme in the total amount of about 350 million kuna. In addition to Hotel Brioni, our hotels in Belgrade and Budapest should be refreshed again during the year, and the start of the renovation of the hotel in Zagreb and the Riviera Hotel in Pula is expected this year and next year. Namely, in order to strengthen our presence across Central and Eastern Europe, AHG signed a 45-year lease agreement for the development of a hotel with 115 rooms in the very centre of Zagreb. This was followed by the acquisition of the 88 Rooms Belgrade hotel for 44.9 million kuna. Back in April 2020, we reached a settlement with the state and bought the Riviera Pula hotel for 36.5 million kuna. This will allow us to start the renovation of this historic hotel and position it as a new branded facility with 80 rooms,¨ announced Slonim.
For the upcoming tourist season, he says last minute bookings will reign strongest.
¨Although we cannot know for sure how long the current lockdowns will last across Europe and the dynamics of the vaccination rollout. We´re currently preparing for the pre-season and we anticipate improved business for Croatia in the summer when compared to last year. Reservations for the summer season are underway, although we expect, as last year, an increased trend of last minute bookings and arrivals,¨ concluded Slonim.
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