September the 20th, 2023 – The Dalmatie Group, a branch of the wider Indotek Group, is responsible for the extremely costly renovation of the popular Gradac Labineca Hotel.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, this milestone in the investment cycle will restore the Gradac Labineca Hotel to its former glory and open the doors of the 275-room Laguna Hotel after many years of closure. It’s currently expected that the projects will increase employment opportunities and revitalise the local tourist landscape in Gradac. This year, the Dalmatie Group also completed development projects totalling an impressive 3.5 million euros in the Kremik marina in Primošten and the Adriatik campsite.
“The Dalmatie Group is going full steam into 2024,” explained Nives Grzunov, the director for the Republic of Croatia at the Indotek Group. “With this project which involves the renovation of several buildings, our goal is to add another chapter to the rich tourism story of Gradac. At the same time, we want to showcase the resilience of the Group and our aspiration for growth after the coronavirus pandemic.”
This multi-phase renovation project, which is scheduled to begin at the end of September 2023 and be completed by the 2025 summer season, will breathe new life into the outdated Hotel Labineca. The renovation will include the entire central building of nine floors, the restaurant, the swimming pool and the surrounding area, as well as the hotel terraces which span a total of 1400 m2 with a view of the sea.
The project aims to transform the 216-room Gradac Labineca Hotel into a 3-star accommodation with 4-star quality by introducing new state-of-the-art facilities, including a modern wellness centre, top-class conference rooms and a wide range of fine-dining options.
Other projects are also being prepared in Gradac
It isn’t just the Gradac Labineca Hotel that is being done up, with the Laguna Hotel renovation project currently in the preparatory phase. The start of those works has been planned for next year. It is expected that the value of the renovation of these two hotels will amount to more than sixteen million euros in total.
Both projects are strategically designed to strengthen the local tourism sector and generate economic growth in Gradac. The Dalmatie Group is also continuing to actively encourage local authorities and community members to better align the project with local needs and expectations.
Primošten – challenge accepted
In parallel with the ambitious undertakings in Gradac, in the first half of the year, the Dalmatie Grupa also reported on significant activities in Primošten. To be more specific, a total of 1.9 million euros were invested in Camp Adriatik for the purchase of 36 new state-of-the-art mobile homes located down by the sea, and in Marina Kremik, the upgrading of facilities worth 1 .5 million euros took place.
“These successful projects in Primošten, despite all the challenges and the lack of support from the local government, are proof of our commitment to this entire region,” added Nives Grzunov.
The complete renovation of the Primošten Hotel Zora was planned for 2023, but the Dalmatie Group ultimately decided to shelve that project. Funds earmarked for the renovation of Hotel Zora were instead diverted to investments in Hotel Laguna in Gradac.
According to Nives Grzunov, the redistribution of funds intended for Primošten was a painful but rational decision: “No investor will risk spending several million euros in a place where the lack of local support is obvious, and the tone and actions of the local leadership are aimed at creating a false agenda for achieving political points.”
After that decision, Zora reopened in mid-June with limited capacity and closed a very short but successful season with 29,901 overnight stays until the end of August 2023.
