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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January 27, 2021 – They promised its arrival this spring and, true to their word, these first-look photos show the construction of the beautiful new Rijeka Hilton Costabella Beach Resort & Spa is complete

With an investment of €80 million and the keen co-operation of the city authorities, the arrival date of the new Rijeka Hilton Costabella Beach Resort & Spa was never in doubt. They said it would be ready for spring and due to open its doors in April. As these first look pictures show, they've been true to their word. Construction of the new Rijeka Hilton Costabella Beach Resort & Spa is complete.

Its been at times difficult to fully visualise the completed project from the glossy, computer-generated builders' images of how they predict the finished product will look. Rijeka residents too have had their worries – would the new promenade in front of the complex (paid for with city money) place a section of their beloved coastline off-limits to those not staying at the Rijeka Hilton Costabella Beach Resort & Spa?

They needn't have worried. As these new images show, the major construction work at the Rijeka Hilton Costabella Beach Resort & Spa is complete. It looks as though they could throw open the doors tomorrow. The worried-over promenade snakes between the main complex and the hotel residents' beach area. It allows pedestrians full access to the seafront – they can pass along the entire front facade of the Rijeka Hilton Costabella Beach Resort & Spa and enjoy the view from the shore just as much as hotel residents. When the Rijeka Hilton finally opens its doors, they'll also be able to take advantage of all of its spa facilities too, which will be opened up to local residents via a membership scheme.

The Rijeka Hilton Costabella Beach Resort & Spa complex has been built across a considerable 18,000 square metres. The main building complex has 10 floors which hold 132 rooms. The site also has 66 villas separate to the main building, six restaurant/bar/food outlets, a private beach, and one of the largest wellness facilities in the region - the two-floored spa area covers more than 3,000 square metres.

The new photos of the complete Rijeka Hilton Costabella Beach Resort & Spa, which are signed as Mr. Fly, were posted publicly to the Facebook group Riječka enciklopedija - Fluminensia by renowned Rijeka photographer Dario Matijević, whose breathtaking images of the nature, landscapes and cityscapes of the Kvarner region are often signed as Baredice Photo and can be enjoyed here. They were subsequently used by RiPortal in their coverage of this story.

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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December the 16th, 2020 - The Hilton Rijeka Costabella Beach Resort & Spa is about to be the Northern Adriatic city's latest attraction, and the giant hotel company is promoting Rijeka as a new and exciting destination for 2021.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, the works on the new Hilton Rijeka Costabella Beach Resort & Spa, in which more than 80 million euros are being invested, are nearing completion. More than 95 percent of the Hilton Rijeka project has now been completed, and the opening is expected in April 2021, the investors - JTH Costabella and representatives of the Hilton hotel chain - announced.

The Hilton Rijeka hotel complex should start operating when a slight return of tourist traffic is announced due to the start of coronavirus vaccination worldwide, and Hilton has recently included the up and coming resort on its list of 21 newly opened facilities located in exciting new destinations that will welcome guests in 2021.

They also point out the very optimistic results of the research which showed them that consumers plan to make up for the trips they missed due to the pandemic next year - in Hilton's poll, as many as 66 percent of Americans and 60 percent of Chinese tourists said they would stop postponing planned trips in the future, while here in Europe, 57 percent of British tourists are already actively planning their travels for next year.

JTH Costabella owner Jaroslav Tresnak said during a tour of the construction site that the facility had progressed despite difficulties with an unpredictable pandemic-dominated situation. Reservations for the new Hilton Rijeka complex have already started, as has the process of hiring staff.

The Hilton complex in the Kostabela area in Rijeka was built on a plot covering 18,000 square metres, and the entire 10-storey building covers an area of ​​25,000 square metres in total. In addition to the hotel rooms, guests will be able to stay in accommodation facilities in villas located right next to the hotel.

The Hilton Rijeka resort will apparently boast as many as 132 rooms, 66 villas, six smaller and larger catering and hospitality facilities, and one of the largest wellness facilities in the entire region, a spa area that covers more than 3,000 square metres on two floors with various treatments available in 7 rooms with massages, saunas and more.

Hilton intends to offer the services of this spa centre through membership to Rijeka locals who aren't hotel guests. Guests, on the other hand, will have at their disposal 200 metres of private beach, with a smaller berth for boats, space for water sports and more.

At the moment, the hotel rooms are finished and the installation of kitchens in the common areas is ongoing. The indoor and outdoor pools are now fully arranged, as is the wellness and spa centre with its accompanying massage rooms, saunas, a beauty and hairdressing salon and even a dental practice.

In addition, all underwater and above-sea works on the beach, which is about 200 metres long, have been completed, as has the promenade, the works on which were undertaken by the City of Rijeka.

During the visit, Rijeka Mayor Vojko Obersnel stated that the Hilton Costabella Beach Resort & Spa complex is extremely important for the further development of Rijeka as a tourist destination, which will see the city raised very high on the list of destinations with quality accommodation.

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