February the 1st, 2025 – A huge 40 million euro investment is in the works for Zagreb Airport, as it is set to get a brand new hotel, and even a shopping and business centre.
As Sinisa Malus/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, a massive investment in Zagreb Airport will see it set up for a major business breakthrough in the coming years. The development of the airport’s infrastructure is currently in focus, with a special focus being placed on the additional content that should bring the company into line with global trends. That will give the entire space an additional allure. Zagreb Airport Ranko Ilić recently revealed more.
In the coming period, Zagreb Airport will receive a facility that will complete its entire offer – an airport hotel. How did you come up with that idea? Why is such a hotel needed?
Zagreb Airport acts as a holding company, supervising the concessionaire Zagreb International Airport (ie Dr. Franjo Tuđman Airport). We take care of our assets, as well as processes that aren’t actually affected by the concession contract. The development of airport infrastructure is changing significantly. From the previously basic infrastructure that was primarily in the function of changing the mode of transport, with the growth in the passenger transport segment, it has become necessary for airports to develop other complementary facilities that will be in the function of their sustainable development…
Franjo Tuđman Airport has also been recording a very positive trend in passenger traffic. That was very visible in 2024, when a record number of passengers was achieved with 4.3 million. In order to further develop the airport’s facilities, we recognised the construction of a hotel as one of the first steps in developing its complementary infrastructure and increasing the quality and spectrum of services to its end users. That would be followed in the future by expansion with other facilities, buildings with offices for rent, a conference centre and other amenities, all for the purpose of realising the globally increasingly popular Airport City concept.
By building a hotel within the Franjo Tuđman Airport area, we’ll enter among the ranks of other airports that follow these global trends and those that invest significant resources in developing their offers. It’s also important to note that Zagreb Airport is a Star Alliance mini-hub due to the presence of Croatia Airlines, as well as a Ryanair base, which gives us additional leverage and attractiveness. All in all, the airport hotel will bring added value. That value will be both for Zagreb and the wider Zagreb County. It will also act as a firm contribution to the overall development of tourism and transport across Croatia.
Can you estimate how much the total investment in Zagreb Airport could be worth?
According to the feasibility study we’ve prepared, the total investment in Zagreb Airport stands at 40 million euros. The current designs would see the future hotel boast 172 rooms, and next to it there’ll be a shopping and business centre with additional facilities. It’s important to emphasise that according to urban planning parameters, the maximum capacity of the hotel is 500 beds, and that the shopping and business centre must have facilities that are in the function of the airport and its passengers.
The investor will have the opportunity to adjust the conceptual design to their needs and cost-effectiveness estimates. That means that the investment amount in Zagreb Airport may fluctuate depending on the number of rooms, the hotel layout, its size and type of other facilities, that includes underground garages, etc. The final conceptual design requires the consent of Zagreb Airport d.o.o.
In accordance with the tender, what would the contract with Zagreb Airport look like regarding the right to build?
The contract on the right to build will be in accordance with the proper international standards and practices. The investor will receive the right to build for a period of 50 years with the possibility of extension for an additional 49 years. During that period, they’ll need to pay a fee, in a fixed and variable amount. After the expiry of this period, the property will become the property of Zagreb Airport d.o.o., free of charge.
Do you expect the tender to attract large international hotel chains?
Although the tender is international in nature, we believe that it will mainly attract investors who are already present in Croatia, whether they’re international investors or local ones. We don’t expect a direct application from a large international hotel chain. That said, the selected investor must secure a franchise or management contract for a large international hotel chain. On top of that, the chosen brand of that hotel chain must be an “airport brand”. This is a prerequisite for all potential investment of this nature in Zagreb Airport.
The deadlines for contracting such cooperation for an international hotel brand are quite long. That means that everyone will have time to bring an excellent brand for an airport hotel. We believe that approaches like this significantly improves the quality of service, as well as the perception of Zagreb Airport and the City of Zagreb as an aviation destination. Simply out, air passengers are used to the specific standards of certain brands specialised in airports, so we set them as our mandatory criteria.
As for the other criteria, where there’s more flexibility, the aim is attracting as many investors as possible and winning a competitive tender.
In addition to the hotel, a large shopping and business centre would be built as part of this investment next to Zagreb Airport. What kind of facilities do you expect here and what are you aiming for?
We expect facilities that will be profitable for the investor on one hand, and on the other hand, increase the number of passengers and the satisfaction of passengers at Zagreb Airport. The initial ideas were related to congress tourism, but it seems to us that the project will be much more profitable in the health tourism variant (dental or aesthetic, for example).
We’ll let the investor decide what he wants. In any case, we’ll ask that a number of meeting rooms be left, all in order to enable the organisation of business and other meetings within the complex. This is common practice and we don’t expect to run into any kinds of misunderstandings on this issue.
When do you estimate that the tender could be announced and within what period the mentioned facilities should be completed?
The public call for expressions of interest was published last Saturday, and we expect the tender to be announced at the end of March this year.
