November 2, 2021 - The new Valamar Stari Grad nature resort will be a fully sustainable resort positioned for family vacations that respects the highest standards of green building.

Hotel company "Helios Faros" d.d. from Stari Grad on the island of Hvar launched a significant investment cycle in its facilities after a 2019 recapitalization by the new owners of "PBZ Croatia osiguranje" to manage mandatory pension funds and "Valamar Riviera" from Poreč, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

So far, more than HRK 91 million has been invested, which includes the renovation and launch of the first hotel under the new brand "Hvar (Places Hotel) by Valamar" in Stari Grad - Faros (formerly the hotel "Lavender") and landscaping "Arcade Sunny Hotel by Valamar".

A few days ago, the Supervisory Board gave the green light for additional investments of HRK 223.2 million, which is, of course, an excellent reason to talk to Vladimir Bunić, the director of the Stari Grad hotel.

Slobodna Dalmacija asked how tourists reacted to the novelties in their offer, as progress is more than evident.

"'Places Hotel by Valamar' has genuinely become a hotel chosen by guests looking for an easy beach holiday in attractive locations. They especially liked the design of the hotel and the excellent offer of the new restaurant and bar concept, with extended breakfast time and an all-day à la carte offer. In the 2021 season, we welcomed them with renovated accommodation facilities, renovated existing ones, and built a new restaurant with sunbathing areas.

Hotel 'Arkada' became part of the brand 'Sunny by Valamar' and welcomed guests with renovated rooms, restaurants, and exciting children's facilities. This investment will contribute to repositioning the destination according to higher value-added services and further developing tourism in Stari Grad and Hvar."

And what are the effects of those investments?

"Helios Faros" is a listed company, so we will be able to talk about the season's results only after the quarterly financial report is published. Nevertheless, we are satisfied with the high level of guest satisfaction with the new hotel "Hvar Places by Valamar", intended for guests seeking freedom of choice, modern design, and an authentic destination experience with full respect for nature and the environment. One of the most significant features is the offer that gives guests complete freedom to enjoy the restaurant offer in the rhythm that suits them best."

Fantastic pool complex

"It is true; this complex is increasingly becoming the center of daily entertainment with live music and DJs, which continues after sunset. The hotel has 179 rooms that are a blend of Mediterranean tradition and modern design. All are equipped with extremely comfortable beds with top-quality mattresses. They also have a smart TV, super-fast Wi-Fi, air conditioning, and everything that a modern traveler needs to experience a dream vacation. The freedom of cashless payment with a bracelet and contactless check-in also contributes to maximum comfort."

And now an investment of HRK 223.2 million?

"Let's say that the investments are mostly related to constructing the first sustainable eco-resort in the "Valamar" portfolio on our coast, completing investments in "Hvar (Places Hotel) by Valamar", constructing the "Aquamar" pool complex, and arranging the overall tourist zone. "Nature resort" is the new "Valamar" concept of a fully sustainable eco-resort positioned for family vacations. The resort's construction will be achieved by respecting the highest standards of green building, which includes environmentally friendly materials with minimal impact on the environment, the use of renewable energy sources, and a high level of energy efficiency. Furthermore, the "Valamar nature resort" in Stari Grad is the first tourist project to use prefabricated buildings and modular construction designed according to "Valamar" accommodation quality standards."

A concept inspired by nature and sustainable design

"Yes, the architecture of the resort fits into the natural environment of the island in the design of buildings, while the interior design is signed by local designers and artists using local traditions and materials. Furthermore, the felled trees will be used in landscaping, and each felled tree will be replaced with newly planted ones, while digitization will eliminate the use of paper throughout the hotel. In addition, great emphasis will be placed on the offer of local food and produce, so all interested producers and family farms who grow and produce organic indigenous island varieties and ensure they come directly from the field."

When will the construction begin?

"The project will be implemented in two phases during 2022 and 2023, to realize the green initiatives in full potential and realize all aspects of sustainable development of the resort. We also plan to apply for green EU funds, and upon completion, the conditions for issuing green building certificates will be met. Bungalow-settlement "Trim", although it retains its original architectural form, will experience major changes and improvements in the interior design in a new and modern "Valamar" brand focused on guests' comfort."

Helios Faros render

What about the staff?

"Caring for employees, their development and education, as well as the overall working conditions, is key to the long-term success of the company and ensuring a high level of quality and service we provide to our guests. As we have mentioned before, we intend to include as many staff from the local population as possible, in the spirit of the idea of doing business on and with the island."

Very ambitious medium-term development plans

"We intend to put Stari Grad on the map of the most luxurious resorts in Croatia, as evidenced by the "Helios Faros" Business Development Plan, which assumes investments totaling about HRK 800 million in sustainable tourism of high added value. This will positively impact the economic growth of the city and the island and the opportunities for the further career development of our employees. Furthermore, by 2025, the reconstruction and construction of new hotel and resort capacities of 4* and 5* categories with a total of 700 accommodation units are planned, which speaks for itself about employment potentials for the inhabitants of the island of Hvar," concluded Bunić.

You can watch the full video on HRT.

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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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