Construction of EUR 25 million Marriott Hotel in Belgrade commenced - 2015 to see first guests in hotel in downtown Belgrade

(the future look of Marriott Hotel)

Construction of Marriott Hotel in downtown Belgrade, worth EUR 25 million, has finally begun. After waiting for a long time to get a building permit, which arrived late last year, PFB Properties set up cranes and fences around the construction site on April 5th, people at that company told eKapija.

- We started the construction of the hotel. The most modern interior solutions as well as the materials for which we guarantee energy efficiency and top comfort for guests will be implemented. The hotel will have an extremely well –developed environment of public space such as an entrance hall, a restaurant, a café bar and a club. They will be available for all the guests, both to those who stay at the hotel and the ones who will enjoy extremely rich offer of food and drink – Branko Trkulja, director with PFB Properties, says for eKapija.

Novi Beograd-based hotel is located in a city center, at the Republic Square, next to the National Theatre, at the corner of Vasa Carapic Street and Dositejeva. It is the former building of Jugodrvo which will be reconstructed.

Hotel will have 114 rooms, a restaurant, a café bar, a club, meeting room, a gym, a parking for guests as well as all other supplementary technical facilities.

(crane and fence set up)

Our collocutor says that this hotel is first of all featured by the location in the city center which enables easy and fast approach to all business, administrative and cultural facilities in Serbian capital. Although the hotel was primarily planned for business guests, Trkulja points out that the tourist segment of the market will have a significant stake.

- Rooms offer comfort of the office, with movable working desk and an armchair and tourists visiting Belgrade will find here a pleasant place to stay and relax. Guests coming by car will leave their vehicles at the hotel entrance and the staff will take them to an underground garage and get them back to the entrance. The hotel location guarantees that it will have its visitors during holidays, at weekends and vacations which is a great advantage for facilities of this profile oriented towards business guests – Trkulja mentions.

Tenders where, as PFB Properties say, they will try to select the best producers, will be released for every segment.

- When it comes to the hotel equipment, the most modern technologies will be used and we will try to hire local suppliers who comply with these standards.

The façade of the existing building will be changed in line with the design of an architect, Miomir Luzajic.

- The network will be made of metal and installed on a steel construction and it will have a significant role in thermal and sound insulation. The facility is oriented towards the southeast and so far it required significant electricity consumption so that it would cool over the year. This façade solution will significantly reduce electricity consumption and in the street such as Vasa Carapic, guests will have better visual and sound insulation and comfort - our collocutor explains.

The facility will be managed by the Marriott company in line with their Courtyard by Marriott brand standard and on the basis of the long-term contract on hotel management which PFB Properties signed with that corporation.

- This kind of an agreement which guarantees top service quality. The hotel will have full support of the Marriott global network in the booking, sales and marketing segments – Trkulja points out.

Employment as well as staff straining will be supervised by the Marriott. It is expected that some 70 people will hired. Job vacancies will be released in the period some 6 months before the opening.

The deadline for the facility reconstruction is 12 months, i.e. the spring 2015.

S.O.