Vienna International Hotelmanagement AG (VI), the biggest Austrian hotel operator, will act as management partner for the 5-star Marriott Hotel Minsk. The opening of the high-end property is planned for the beginning of 2015.
After expanding in Germany, the Austrian hotel group, Vienna International Hotelmanagement AG, is taking over a management contract for the international Marriott Hotel brand in Minsk, Republic of Belarus. The 220-room high-end property is owned by Falcon Investment Company LLS. Consulting activities during the pre-opening period and operation of the property after its opening are incorporated in the management contract.
Dr. Andreas Karsten, CEO of VI Hotels, sees big potential in the take-over of the hotel management: “Our core business is the successful management of hotels. Now we are strategically positioning ourselves as franchisee for an international brand for the Marriott Hotel Minsk. We see a new market for VI as well as additional potential for the future.”
Dr. Thani Al Kuwari, the director of Falcon Investment Company LLS, sees a great opportunity for a constructive collaboration: “We expect this hotel project to be very successful and to become the place to stay in the 5-star segment in Minsk. The high service standards and reputation of Marriott and VI, as well as the perfect location and unsaturated market, have a grand promise for a successful investment.”
“The hotel is due to open under the brand name Marriott System Hotel. We are happy to have VI Hotels & Resorts as a partner who has been active for 25 years on the Eastern European markets and in the high-end hotel industry,” says Mohammed Dawood Salman Al-Qaes, Managing Partner of PD Vivat Project Development, the company managing the project on behalf of the investor. Martin Lachout, Chief Project Developer at VI, points out the group’s strengths in this deal: “Due to our long-term experience in Eastern European countries, the VI group is known for its competent market know-how in terms of development and tailor-made management solutions on an international high-quality service level.”
About the area
The 5-star Marriott Hotel Minsk property is located on 5 hectares of land consisting of four functional parts: a 5-star hotel, a sports centre, a tennis club and a multilevel car park.
The 26,646 m² built-up area of the hotel consists of 220 rooms, a main restaurant with seating capacity for 170 people, a theme restaurant for 70 people, a ballroom with 590 seats and 13 meeting rooms of various sizes.
The 16,850 m² sports arena is able to accommodate a wide range of sports with nearly 2,100 spectators, a 20 seat VIP box, an 80 seat conference room, a press centre and team rooms for training, changing and massage. A space on the top floor was allocated for high-end retail shops and a cinema complex with seven screens including a five-dimensional hall. In addition to the main sports arena, a tennis centre with 3 courts, table tennis and 6 rooms for squash is being constructed. A bowling centre with 12 lanes has been integrated into the tennis centre with a separate entrance. Furthermore, a 4-storey car park was included to accommodate 284 cars in addition to surface parking for 98 cars.
The opening of the entire complex is foreseen for the upcoming winter. With this project, the VI group’s portfolio will grow to 10 European countries.
