Royal spa calling investors - City of Loznica offers greenfield location for hotel construction in Banja Koviljaca

(Banja Koviljaca)

Banja Koviljaca could soon get one more hotel, which is definitely something this spa resort requires as the main tourist and rehabilitation destination in western Serbia.

Namely, the City of Loznica to which this spa resort belongs has offered a greenfield location for the construction of a hotel. This land lot spanning 83 ares and 43 square meters is situated in the center of Banja Koviljaca which is 6 kilometers away from Loznica.

As eKapija learned, the starting auction price for aforementioned land lot is RSD 31,286,250 (about EUR 300,000).

However, the City has still not heard from any investor capable of building this hotel in line with its architectural desires because the Detailed Regulation Plan defines exact criteria for hotel construction. Of course, the aim is to preserve the authentic architecture of Banja Koviljaca.

As far as the number of floors is concerned, the future hotel can have a ground floor, two above-ground floors and an attic. Also, one of the conditions is that this tourist and accommodation facility includes up to 250 beds.

The investor is obligated to ensure an access for people with disabilities as well as minimum one parking place or garage per 3 rooms. The maximum allowed land occupancy rate is 40 percent. Also, the ground floor must feature an access on the northern side of the facility as well as a minimum number of official parking places.

When it comes to architectural design, according to the Detailed Regulation Plan, the facility should fit into the ambiance of the spa park and adapt to the architecture of old spa resort buildings.

In the process of collecting permits for construction it is necessary to meet the requirements of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Institute and receive the consent from the chief city architect for preliminary designs.

The investor who decides to build a new hotel in Royal Spa will get a discount from the municipality on the city building land development fee. Namely, investors will get a 0.3 percent discount per every newly created job, but this discount cannot exceed 60 percent of the total price. Also, the investor will be offered to pay this fee in maximum 36 monthly installments.

People at the Department for Local Economic Development told eKapija that there were no interested investors at the moment.

Lacking accommodation facilities

Koviljaca is a spa resort with a rich tradition stretching back to late 19th century. In the period between the two world wars this spa was in its prime, and was a famous tourist destination among people in eastern Europe. A large number of facilities in the beautiful park complex date back to that period.

Banja Koviljaca is now a leader in medical tourism in Serbia. Its special rehabilitation hospital with a wellness center attracts a big number of tourists from the country and abroad every year.

However, the accommodation capacity of the hotel and tourist company Banja Koviljaca is not big enough. This spa resort also lacks adequate sports and entertainment facilities.

Guests of the Royal Spa can currently choose between hotels Royal Spa and Podrinje, Banja Koviljaca sanatorium, and Gucevo Hostel.