As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, with a huge investment of 52 million euros in the construction of a new exclusive hotel in Komiza and bringing Marriott’s lifestyle brand Autograph Collection to the Republic of Croatia for the veru first time, the company Modra spilja (with the majority shareholder being PFZ Croatia osiguranje) will initiate the transformation of Vis island.
On the site of the bulky concrete building of the current two-star Hotel Bisevo, Komiza will get a five-star hotel that will fit entirely into the surrounding natural environment and the view of the city, and a promenade by the sea which will soon be walked along by some new guests, the users of Marriott’s loyalty club.
In addition to the investor, the architectural studio 3LHD, the Bruketa & Zinic & Gray agency and the company Hotel & Destination Consulting have all been engaged in the realisation of this project, which has been underway for the last year now.
“Our goal on Vis island is to develop a high value-added tourism product, with a globally recognisable hotel brand that guarantees standards recognised around the world, in order to better capitalide on this remote and unique destination. We simply want to take advantage of the distance and harder accessibility of this destination which is ideal for an escape from reality, for wellbeing, and for the recovery of both body and mind from hectic lifestyles.
Autograph is ideal for such a product, because it’s a brand in which each hotel is different, it has its own special story that is usually related to local culture or traditions, and the content is related to that,” explained Mario Radakovic, a member management of the company Modra spilja.
As it is known, the pension fund PBZ CO paid its creditors back in 2019 and ended the bankruptcy proceedings of Modra spilja, after which the company was listed on the Zagreb Stock Exchange, and there was a recapitalisation to maintain liquidity during the coronavirus pandemic and to prepare investments.
Marriott is currently in the process of licensing the Autograph Collection brand, concluding a financial structure with both creditors and investors, and amending the urban development plan for the Komiza settlement (UPU) so that all permits can be obtained.
The preliminary design bears the signature of the Zagreb-based company 3LHD, which presented it to the local community about 10 or so days ago. A completely different concept of hotel will now be built, with almost the same number of rooms, but with a significantly reduced environmental impact and total visibility from the sea.
HDC was in charge of designing the concept, the market positioning, the content and the financial projection of the project, while Bruketa & Zinic & Gray will be in charge of branding and designing the central theme of the hotel.
It’s worth noting that the Autograph Collection brand belongs to the so-called “premium distinctive” group of Marriott hotels, which is in the middle in terms of luxury (between luxury and select hotels), and in terms of content and style, they are unique hotels that emphasise local culture and traditions. Under the Autograph Collection brand, there are about a hundred hotels on five continents, most of them in Europe, Central America and down in the Caribbean.
It’s already known that a very important segment in the up and coming Komiza hotel will be wellness, which will recreate the famous Blue Cave attraction on the island of Bisevo, with a number of indoor and outdoor pools and facilities surrounded by a rich Mediterranean garden, which is another important component of the project. Otherwise, the hotel will consist of several smaller buildings connected by corridors.
It will reinterpret the urbanism of the town with courtyards in a modern way, and Zagreb’s 3LHD has placed all of the infrastructure underground, including the garage. The hotel will have a total of 133 accommodation units. An additional 28 residences are planned to be cascaded above the road and be naturally connected to the existing facilities in Komiza. With several outdoor pools, a large infinity pool with a roof top bar right next to the promenade by the sea, some rooms will have private pools, and the turnkey investment will stand at an enormous 320 thousand euros.
In addition to all of the above in the transformation of Vis island, this large project will be maximally “green”, in accordance with the possibilities of this remote location, so that a good part of local materials will be built into it, and solutions will be sought that will be sustainable in the future maintenance of all of the facilities. Radakovic emphasised the great importance of existing good infrastructure on Vis island and the intentions of local authorities to further improve it.
“As a volcanic island, Vis has its own water sources, which is very important for the sustainability of the project, as well as the largest island solar power plant in the entire Adriatic. For our guests, we plan transfers from Split Airport as well as the re-establishment of sea routes to Italy, which will be interesting for the future development of tourism on the island,” said Radakovic.
The closure of the entire construction of this huge future investment should be completed in the next six months. That in itself is a prerequisite for the start of construction, which could begin in the spring or autumn of 2023, and it is planned to last for 18 to 24 months. Objectively, the new Autograph Collection Vis could be on the market for the 2025 summer tourist season, the investor predicts.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.
