July the 22nd, 2021 - The beautiful Central Dalmatian island of Hvar, known as Croatia's premier island, appears to be some new territory to conquer for the well known Valamar Riviera Hotel company. But that isn't all that's on the horizon.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Sergej Novosel Vuckovic writes, the Valamar Riviera Hotel company seems to have selected gorgeous Hvar to be its latest lucrative field - after the existing one hotel and two apartment complexes, a new hotel of the lifestyle genre was opened on the island back at the end of May this year, and it was the first to be adorned with the new Hvar brand (Places Hotel).
In addition, the offer for both tourists and residents alike has been supplemented by two new restaurants - Craft Beer & Grill and Grano Duro Pizza & Pasta have been operating on the waterfront for two months now.
These are independent facilities, and a massive 8.4 million kuna was poured into their renovation. Dario Kinkela, the director of the food and beverage sector at Valamar, will say that they belong to an already very well-established concept:
“We conceived the concepts a few years ago and implemented them in Rabac (as part of another restaurant) and Porec (Camp Lanterna, and Camp Istra in Funtana). Every year we improve them and adapt them to a new destination.
Grano Duro is based on top-quality pizzas, pasta and summer salads at affordable prices, and Craft Beer & Grill is focused on a rich offer of grilled meat and beer, with an emphasis on the best Croatian and world craft breweries,'' says Dario.
The move highlights the excellent relationship with local food suppliers, which is something that is in the interest of just about everyone of late, especially since the pandemic struck and issues with imports and exports became apparent.
“Cooperation with them is integrated into the Valamar Riviera Hotel company's very business policy. Wherever possible, we work with the local community, and this is reflected in the satisfaction of our guests who appreciate these high-quality groceries. They like to explore the tastes of the destinations they choose more and more, to taste something indigenous, and this isn't only a trend but is also a conscious focus on sustainability, which is an essential item when it comes to our business.
Hvar has a great wealth of flavours to boast of, from aromatic herbs, fruits and vegetables to wine. In these restaurants, we've adjusted our offer accordingly. Examples are Hvar oregano and capers on our pizzas, and Hvar lavender and bitter orange in cocktails, and we also offer pasticada with Hvar-sourced ingredients,'' says Kinkela.
Up in Istria, more precisely in Porec and Rabac, Grano Duro and Craft Beer & Grill had, he adds, excellent results, so they hope for something similar in Stari Grad on Hvar.
His hopes are especially high in this regard because these niches, as they claim from the Valamar Riviera Hotel company, otherwise aren't so present on the island. Regardless of the fact that Hvar has a reputation as a destination for wealthier guests, it targets different categories of consumers: Grano Duro is for families and young people, and Craft Beer & Grill attracts boaters and guests from private accommodation,'' says Kinkela.
These restaurants are far from unimportant, they've been designed to remain in operation even in the colder months so they have the potential to work all year round, not just in the summer. They stated from the Valamar Riviera Hotel company that this will not happen for now, noting that the move depends on several factors.
Judging by the fact that Valamar guarantees a minimum salary of 5,000 kuna to all of its workers, as well as secured accommodation and food, they didn't have any difficulties in finding staff in Stari Grad.
"Specialists from our F&B team trained our employees on Hvar, and went through all segments. Managers and key employees were trained in our similar facilities in the north. The training sessions have been carefully developed within our sector and I'm very proud of our educators,'' says Kinkela.
One year ago, the Valamar Riviera Hotel company launched the Valfresco Direkt service, as an online store that gives small producers a space to list and market their products. It is available to citizens and tourists alike in Istria.
"The good trend in this regard has continued, Valfresco Direkt delivers its products to camps in Istria and Krk every day. We've additionally adjusted our offer to the camps, guests can order groceries before leaving for their trip, in order to be that they will have arrived in their accommodation when they get there.
Guests of the camps in the area of Labin and Porec use the delivery of ready-made local dishes from Valfresco cuisine. For some dishes, the delivery is done on the same day,'' concluded Dario Kinkela.
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