Hotel Riviera in Pula was once a stunning neo-baroque hotel where royal families and movie stars would often stay overnight, today it an outdated and poorly managed guesthouse with only two stars.
By the end of this year, the Ministry of State Property intends to put up for sale one of the most beautiful hotels in Pula – the historic Riviera Hotel, reports Jutarnji.hr on September 7, 2017.
It is an impressive neo-baroque building built around the beginning of the 20th century, which is currently being run by the Arena Hospitality Group, a hotel company from Pula, and which has been having problems with the ownership status of the building for a long time.
“We’ve been trying to resolve the legal issue concerning the ownership of the building for four years now. When we resolve this, the Riviera Hotel will be one of the most beautiful hotels in Croatia because it really is a beautiful building. We want it to be a recognizable place in Pula.It’s going to be a deluxe five-star hotel with the Park Plaza brand.Financially speaking, this is not a good investment, as there are not a lot of rooms, the renovation will be expensive due to the conservation conditions and requirements we need to fulfil during the renovation.
Boost for the city
“But we believe the hotel will be perfect for the city, image and the company. We’re thinking of this investment more as a great way of contributing to the image of the destination.And this will automatically increase the value of other real estates,” said the executive director of Arenaturist Reli Slonim, who later confirmed that his hotel company was very interested in this property.
If and when the legal issue of the property ownership is resolved, the former Arenaturist, who bought hotels all over Germany and Hungary earlier this year, plans on transforming Hotel Riviera into the first art’otel in Croatia.Five of their hotels operate under that brand which guarantees a different experience.The core of the brand is art. Each hotel exhibits a collection of original artworks specially selected or designed for each individual art’otel, which makes each hotel a unique art gallery. Art’otel has created its own niche in the hotel industry, one which is completely different from traditional hotels.
Future art’otel?
“This hotel is a real pearl. “I cannot wait to get my hands on this project and start working as soon as everything is resolved. The potential is enormous, “said Lizzy Kelk, director of operations of the entire Art’otel group, who is also responsible for the look of the Amsterdam Art’otel, which is considered one of the most beautiful hotels in Europe.
Once one of the most popular hotels in Pula, the hotel currently has just one star and is categorized as a guest house. The hotel’s first-class offer comprised a wide range of holiday amenities and services, including spacious and luxurious concert halls, cafes, Vienna cuisine, hairdresser’s and postal services as well as many other facilities and amenities that guaranteed the arrival of many famous names such as the Viennese Egon Maratta Strummer, the prince of Lichtenstein or Countess Batthyany.
The then Grand Hotel Riviera or Palast Hotel Riviera started to be built in 1908 and was opened in 1909. It was built according to the design of the Viennese architect Carl Seidl. The hotel was the largest and most luxurious hotel in Pula at that time.The investor was the Österreichische Riviera Aktiengesellschaft, which built a similar hotel of the same name in Poreč. The hotel has 60 rooms and 120 beds and has long been a gathering of filmmakers during the Pula Film Festival.
Translated from Jutarnji.hr
Photo credit: Booking.com
