One of the most awarded Croatian hostels is set to open a pool for guests, which will round off their offer, but also improve business results
Announcing the completion of a smaller pool and two new terraces as part of the hostel backyard in August, director and majority hostel owner Andrija Pirnat said this is part of their annual investment amounting to 600,000 Kuna, Tportal.hr reported on July 14, 2016.
“Since we began three years ago we have invested around 3 million Kuna, with subsidised loans from the Tourism Ministry and City of Zagreb. We also received a 200 thousand Kuna support from the Ministry for revitalising industrial heritage as the hostel i based in the former first dry cleaning and colouring shop in Zagreb form the end of the 19th century,” Pirnat detailed.
The space is rented from the Ondrušek family for ten years, while business has not been profitable so far, but that was the plan, said Pirnat. He believes if the income keeps rising as it has been, with the same costs the business will be profitable in the long run.
“From the beginning we acknowledged the hostel and tourism business as a complex activity where timing, idea, content and vision matter. Offering beds is not enough, but an added value is needed to make a living,” Pirnat emphasises, adding there are 17 employees in the hostel, 13 of them full-time, all aged around 30.
Out of the numerous hostels in Zagreb, around 40, they are distinguished by working year-round, with an average occupancy of 50%, but also their open bar and events such as concerts, games and others.
“Each year we have a slight overnight stay increase, currently 2.5% compared to last year, which we credit to the influence of awards received in the last two years,” said Pirnat who believes the nomination by British magazines Telegraph and Guardian as a Top 15 European hostel helped too.
Other important awards include Best Hostel for last year by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Croatian Tourism Board, while this year the hostels association Hostelworld proclaimed them the best hostel in Croatia according to guest reviews.
The hostel in the centre of Zagreb has 14 different rooms with a total of 69 beds.
“Our best occupancy is from spring to fall, followed by December. The mostly foreign guests come from Australia, USA, Britain and New Zealand, and an increasing number from Brazil,” said event, PR and marketing manager Tina Sarajlić.
