Croatia: A Destination of Quality Accommodation

Huge investment (of almost a billion euros) in accommodation facilities and infrastructure in Croatia resulted in the highest growth of bed quality to date.

The year 2008 will be remembered in Croatia as the year with the highest increase in the number of four-star and five-star hotels – there are presently more new ones than the past six years combined.

Between September of 2007 and September of 2008, the accommodation capacities in four star hotels doubled, while the number of five star hotels increased by 78 percent.

Croatia currently has 122 four-star hotels or 67 more than last year, and 16 five-star hotels, or 7 more. In addition, 18 hotels are undergoing the four-star procedure and 7 expect to be classified as five stars.

In late 2008, Novi SPA Hotels & Resorts (www.novi.hr) in Novi Vinodolski opened its new five-star hotel The View, one of the largest spa & wellness centers in this part of Europe. The entire resort stretches over 311 thousand square meters of land situated on a mild slope along 1.5 kilometers of coast. The offer is supplemented by a congress hall (2,500m2) and several smaller conference halls, a polyclinic for cosmetic surgery, dental services and physical examinations, a 500-vehicle garage, high fashion shops, a perfumery, animation programs for children and adults, and many other amenities.

The Šibenik region has six four-star hotels, while the City of Zagreb has 11. Eighteen other hotels are waiting for the Tourism Ministry’s committee to inspect them so that they could obtain the requested four stars - the total by the year’s end should come to 140.

Hotel Antunovic (www.centar-antunovic.com) in Zagreb is being reorganized into a congress center with 20 halls and lounges, on an area of 2,500 square meters. The largest hall will receive 1,000 people, and there will also be a hall seating 500 within the center.

Sveti Martin na Muri (www.svetimartin.hr), proclaimed a European Destination of Excellence, will have the four-star Golf Hotel worth 25.3 million euros. Hotel Kralj worth 5.1 million euros is being built in Donji Kraljevec, Varaždin has new hotels, while Daruvar and Prelog also have new hotel beds to offer.

Total direct investments in tourism in the year of 2008 amounted to one billion euros. Investments in the private hotel sector accounted for most of it – 5.5 billion HRK (764,000,000.00 €). A new investment cycle in Croatian tourism worth 2 billion HRK (280,000,000.00 €) began in 2008 and will be completed in 2010. New capacities and new selective forms of tourism are expected as early as next year.

The trend continues with construction of new hotels and thorough reconstructions of existing ones, which are generally enriched by wellness centers and congress halls.

Split-Dalmatia County made the largest progress, confirmed by several awards presented to Split’s Hotel Le Meridien Lav (www.grandhotellav.com), proclaimed the Leading European Conference Hotel, the Leading Croatian Hotel and the Leading Croatian Spa Hotel.

The City of Split will have its first globally branded hotel – after a thorough reconstruction that is under way, the present Hotel Split will be named ‘Radisson Resort Split’ and will carry four+ stars. Hotel Marjan is also being reconstructed and opened before the 2009 season. This five stars hotel contain 320 rooms, 27 suites, a presidential suite, restaurants, a pub, a piano bar, a wellness center, casino pools, conference halls and other amenities.

Istria has 20 high-category facilities, Zadar County has 11, while the Dubrovnik region has only eight four-star hotels.

With Punta Skala in Petrcane, Falkensteiner Hotels & Residences (www.hoteliborik.hr) opened the leading hotel complex in Croatia in the summer of 2009, right next to the sea, designed by top international architects. The complex offers two first-class hotels: a five-star SPA complex on eight thousand square meters and the Diadora family hotel with four stars. The complex also contain various restaurants and shops, exclusive apartments and a number of sporting facilities.

In the spring of 2009, Kempinski Hotel Adriatic (www.kempinski-adriatic.com) opened the first five-star luxury seaside resort in Croatia, situated in Savudrija on the northwest coast of Istria, only 5 hours by car from Milan, Munich and Vienna. It is situated right on the shore with its own private beach among luscious greenery and offering a wonderful view of Slovenia, Italy and Austrian Alps. This active modern hotel offers 186 luxury rooms and suites, 3,000 square meters, Corolea SPA, one indoor and two outdoor heated pools. There are a number of indoor and outdoor bars and night clubs. Golfing is available at the 18-hole Golf Championship course at Kempinski Golf Adriatic. With its 25 moorings, Kempinski Marina Adriatic provides a combination of sailing with a luxury trip to Central Europe.

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