July the 3rd, 2021 - The long awaited Rijeka Hilton Costabella Resort has finally opened its doors to guests after much talk. With the vaccination rollout in Croatia and Europe going well, there's hope to be had yet for the height of 2021's summer season.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, the very first Croatian summer resort of the global hotel company Hilton, the Rijeka Hilton Costabella Resort and Spa, has been officially opened. The resort with a private beach and its own anchorages is an investment of the Czech JTH Holding, which has invested more than 105 million euros in this project.

Following nothing but bad news dominating the travel and tourism industry across the world as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, this is definitely the event of the year for the Croatian hotel sector.

The Rijeka Hilton Costabella Resort's hotel offers a total of 132 rooms and 62 villas and apartments, the first eforea spa & health club in all of the Republic of Croatia and a fitness centre which is open 24 hours a day. The hotel also boasts six restaurants and bars, including the fine-dining Nebo Restaurant & Lounge at the very top of the hotel.

At the head of the restaurant is the youngest Croatian chef with a Michelin star, Deni Srdoc, and along with him, four restaurants and bars will be run by chef Miljenko Kosanovic.

"My dream has come true. This, I'm convinced, will be a place where thousands of guests will come, but also a place which has created many jobs and positioned this destination to a much higher level when it comes to tourist accommodation. I'm sure that this trend will continue,'' said Jaroslav Tresnak, the CEO of JTH Holding.

Simon Vincent, Hilton’s executive vice president in charge of the EMEA region, revealed that Hilton plans to open 40 new facilities across Europe this year alone, despite the continued difficulties when it comes to leisure and travel.

This new Rijeka resort is also part of the Hilton Honours loyalty programme, which covers 18 Hilton hotel brands, and guests who make reservations directly through Hilton's official channels can enjoy a number of different benefits, which will attract many new guests who are yet to come and discover Croatia.

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December the 30th, 2020 - One luxury hotel company in Croatia which is set to open a brand new and much anticipated resort in the Northern Adriatic city of Rijeka has announced that it is aiming for mass employment following an economically dire year.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the final works on this investment, worth around 80 million euros, are now in full swing. With its opening, this luxury hotel company in Croatia and its brand new Rijeka resort will bring an exclusive type of tourist infrastructure to Kvarner. The general manager of the new resort, Jose Luis Ruiz Arroya, in an interview for Novac, pointed out that bookings have already begun.

“We're already accepting reservations for the period from June 2021 onwards. In addition, we can already see that a good part of the reservations come from Hilton's loyal guests, as well as guests from the markets that have been traditional guests of Croatia for years. Our guests can choose from 20 different types of accommodation units, all of which have an outstanding sea view and all of the necessary facilities. Prices start at 129 euros in the off-season, for a fantastic room with a view of Kvarner, and from 399 euros during the main season,'' stated Arroya.

"Due to the pandemic, the opening date was postponed, however, the works on the resort didn't stop completely at any time. We're currently in the final phase and everything is progressing according to plan, primarily thanks to a team of great people who responded to all of the challenges they were faced with really professionally and responsibly,'' praised the CEO of this luxury hotel company in Croatia.

“We're constantly looking for new talent to join our team, and the demand is growing as we get closer and closer to the opening date. We're extremely pleased to see that Rijeka and the entire region are an outstanding source of talent that perfectly matches our brand and values. Our team is expanding and we are currently working with a management team of 15 to 20 members. Mass recruitment will begin approximately two months before the opening date. All vacancies are advertised on jobs.hilton.com,'' announced Arroya.

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As Morski writes on the 8th of December, 2019, the investment and development company JTH Costabella d.o.o. organised a tour of the construction site of the Costabella Tourist Complex to present to the media the flow of work on the interiors and exteriors of the Hilton Costabella Resort.

This six-story complex with 132 hotel rooms and 66 apartments in villas, or 280 rooms with 560 beds, and a wellness centre spanning over 4,000 square metres, an indoor and outdoor pool and beach, will provide even the most demanding guests with high quality services.

The visit was attended by Vojko Obersnel, Rijeka's mayor, Jaroslav Třešňák, General Manager of JTH Holding a.s., Borjan Brnčić, Director of JTH Costabella Ltd., Kristjan Staničić, President of the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ), Jose Luiz Ruiz, Hilton General Manager, who is also the Director of the Hilton Costabella Resort.

Jaroslav Třešňák said on the occasion of the media tour that the Costabella Resort project could not have been completed without excellent cooperation with the City of Rijeka and with the support of Mayor Vojko Obersnel.

Borjan Brnčić, director of JTH Costabella Ltd., said that that the works currently underway are in their third phase and the aim is to complete the glazing of all of the openings in the villas and install electricity and sewerage, and then they will begin installing tiles and wall coverings.

The completion of the stainless steel pool installation works also regards the main outdoor pool, the large indoor pool, the children's indoor pool and the large luxury hot tub. After the New Year, the installation of the saunas will begin, and the installation of all gastronomic equipment will begin in the complex's restaurants. On the beach, which is slowly taking shape, construction works have been carried out on the breakwater and on pier 1 and pier 2.

The installation of decorative stone and decorative concrete on the pier has also been completed. The construction of the beach pavilion, or the facility that will be located on the beach, should start soon.

The director of the Hilton Costabella Resort, Jose Luiz Ruiz, said that this marks what will be the very first resort from the Hilton hotel chain in Croatia.

''We're proud to be able to bring the service provided by Hilton hotels to this area. Our chain has over 6,000 hotels connected in 17 branches, as well as over 600 resort hotels located in a wide variety of carefully selected locations around the world. Considering that Rijeka will be the European Capital of Culture next year and that tourism in Rijeka is steadily increasing, tourism in this area is has a bright future ahead of it. The Hilton chain has 5 facilities in Croatia, in Dubrovnik and in Zagreb, and the Hilton Costabella Resort will surely be our leading resort hotel in Europe next year,'' Ruiz said.

The Hilton Costabella Beach Resort & Spa will be truly representative, all hotel rooms and villas have private balconies or terraces overlooking the sea. The hotel will have three restaurants: the main restaurant, the beachfront restaurant and the rooftop restaurant overlooking the sea, a lobby bar, a hotel bar and refreshments by the outdoor pool and on the beach, a wellness centre, indoor and outdoor pools, a private beach, a fitness centre, a children's playroom and lounges.

The Mayor of Rijeka, Vojko Obersnel, expressed his satisfaction with the realisation of this enormous investment, emphasising that what has been done so far has exceeded expectations.

''In the Year when Rijeka, as the European Capital of Culture, will welcome guests from all over the world, we'll also open the highest standard hotel resort. We're pleased that Mr. Třešňák, as a tourist who has been coming to Preluk for years, fell in love with our region and decided to invest in the development of our tourism,'' said the Mayor of Rijeka.

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