…
Kempiniski has expanded it portfolio through Central Europe with the long-awaited opening in 2008 of its 75-room hotel in Prague in a renovated 17th-century Baroque palace on Hybernska Street, close to major attractions including the Powder Gate and Charles Bridge. This was followed by the group’s first hotel in Slovenia, which opened in October – the 185-room Kempinksi Palace Portoroz. It is housed in a renovated 19th century building dating from the era when Portoroz was one the Mediterranean’s major thermal spa and seaside resort towns.
This summer Kempinski is entering Slovakia with its Grand Hotel High Tatras (with 98-room and residences), created in a series of restored 19th and 20th century buildings. Located in a stunning position in the Tatras mountains – the range that divides Poland and Slovakia – the resort hotel will provide a luxurious base for skiing or hiking. A second hotel in Slovakia (261 rooms and 30 residences) in the contemporary new-build RiverPark in the centre of Bratislava, is now expected in 2010.
Also due this summer is Kempinski’s first property in Croatia. On the coast of Istria and with views towards Portoroz in Slovenia, the 186-room Kempinski Hotel Adriatic will have a private marina, 18-hole golf course and includes villas and apartments. Kempinski’s push into the Baltics is running more slowly than planned, but all three new hotels involve often complex restoration of important old buildings. In Lithuania, the 96-room Kempinski Cathedral Square is located in a historic building right in the heart of Vilnius by the Presidential Palace. It will miss the city’s year as Capital of Culture and is now slated for 2010. The opening of Kempinski’s first Latvia property has also been pushed back to 2010. The 150-room hotel is located in the city centre in the former Riga Hotel (which dates back to 1878) opposite the Opera House. The group’s second Latvian property is due in summer 2010 in Jurmala, on the Baltic coast, and is planned as one of Europe’s largest spas with healing mud and mineral treatments. Again, this involves the major restoration of a former grand spa hotel of the 1930s.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
