Orbis expands across CEE

The hotel, which is set to be the first luxury boutique hotel in the Bulgaria, is being developed by local businessman Boyko Kachulev. It will include 60 rooms and suites, a spa and wellness area as well as meeting facilities. Construction work is currently underway to convert an existing building that was formerly a well-known commercial centre in the city. The interior design will be by the S+S studio. “Bulgaria – just like the rest of the South Eastern Europe region – is a promising market for hoteliers as it offers totally new destinations for both business and leisure travellers. We’re proud to have been chosen by the local investor, who is bravely pursuing his ambition to introduce MGallery to Plovdiv. We’re totally supportive of this project because this destination, this city simply deserves the finest hotel brand,” claims Frank Reul, the head of development for Orbis & AccorHotels in Eastern Europe. The building already houses Torro Grande, one of the most popular restaurants in the city.

Openings also planned in Prague and Bucharest

Orbis has also signed a management contract with Geone Real Estate to open a 221-room Novotel hotel on the Vltava River in Prague’s Holesovice district. The hotel is to be a part of the Port 7 district, one of the biggest mixed-use developments in Prague. The complex is being developed by Skanska and will have a total area of around 36,000 sqm of new office space with a further 13,000 sqm earmarked for the development of the hotel, which is to be located in two tower blocks and will include conference facilities and a ballroom. The hotel is scheduled to open with the rest of the complex in 2021. “Prague is one of the most visited destinations worldwide with a very competitive hospitality market and we’re very proud that Geone Real Estate has put its trust in Orbis and Novotel for this ambitious project. With three Ibis hotels already as well as the Novotel Wenceslas Square, a Mama Shelter and the Century Old Town MGallery, the new hotel will be the seventh to operate under AccorHotels in Prague,” stated Gilles Clavie, the chief executive officer of Orbis, commenting on the deal. A management contract has also been signed with Novum Business Services, which is to open the 160-room Ibis Politehnica Hotel in Bucharest in the third quarter of 2020. It will include a restaurant, a bar, conference facilities and a car park. “Ibis is the world’s leading economy brand and is a perfect fit for this location because on the one hand it’s close to the biggest student centre in Romania and on the other, to one of Bucharest’s most vibrant business districts,” says Adrian Gheorghe from Novum Business Services. “With the opening of Ibis Bucharest Politehnica we are further developing our existing AccorHotels portfolio, which currently consists of eleven properties in Romania,” claimed Frank Reul.

Hotels also coming to Poland

A conditional agreement has also been signed with Dwell Well Development to manage the Mercure and Ibis Warszawa Bielany hotel complex. The complex, on ul. Sacharowa close to the future Słodowiec metro station in Warsaw, should be open to guests by mid 2020. The centre will have 137 rooms in its Mercure section with a further 185 rooms under the Ibis brand. Also extensive fitness facilities are to be created as well as co-working space (which is also to be managed by Orbis), as well as a car park for 238 vehicles. “We have developed a reputation as a general contractor with interesting projects, but we also have ambitions to develop hotels, student residences and rental apartments,” revealed Łukasz Komornicki, the CEO of Dwell Well Development, which is a subsidiary of Fundamental. Orbis has also entered into a conditional agreement with UBM Development, which is to develop the Mercure Katowice City Center hotel. The project should be ready in 2020. “Having signed such an agreement, we are going to provide our partners with professional knowledge and know-how. We are proud that UBM Development – a leading hotel developer in Europe – has chosen Orbis to manage this ideally located hotel in Katowice. We believe that this is just the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership,” announced Gilles Clavie. The hotel is to comprise 268 rooms, a Winestone restaurant, conference facilities, a fitness centre and an underground car park. It is to be the third hotel of the AccorHotels chain in Katowice, which already operates the Novotel and Ibis Budget hotels in the city. ν