Tanja Cujic, general manager of Tulip Inn Putnik hotel Belgrade – Expecting business to continue growing in 2017
This year has been marked by the expansion of the spa and fitness zone, as well as the introduction of the catering service, and the intention is for the focus in 2017 to be placed on promoting the bar and the restaurant.
Tanja Cujic, general manager of Tulip Inn Putnik, sums up the results of the year drawing to an end in her interview for eKapija, and announces the rearrangement of the mezzanine foyer, as well as plans for adapting another conference hall and reconstructing the hotel bar. Furthermore, our interviewee reveals what sets their wedding ceremony offer apart from others and what future newlyweds can expect.
eKapija: What were Tulip Inn Putnik's results in 2016?
– I am pleased to say that 2016 was better for our hotel than 2015 and that we have recorded a growth in all segments. Compared to last year, we now have around 20% more overnight stays, and the number should further increase before the New Year. Furthermore, we expect that food and drink revenues will be 15% higher than last year, considering the increased number of events we've organized, but also the innovations in our offer, such as the catering service, which we've introduced this year. Taking all this into consideration, we are more than satisfied with this year's results, and, according to the current indicators, we can expect the trend of growth to continue in 2017.
eKapija: Tulip Inn has been known as a hotel for business people from the start. Is this still true and has the guest structure changed over the years?
– Tulip Inn Putnik has profiled itself as a business hotel from the very start and most of our guests are business people – no significant changes have happened there, nor do we expect them to happen. The groups brought to us by tourist agencies are diverse. Visits by sports teams, both local and foreign, are more frequent, and the content we offer can meet the demands of various guest profiles.
– We work every day on designing and preparing strategies in order to draw as many various groups of guests. We are expanding the offer to the markets of the neighboring countries, and we are primarily trying, despite not being located in the city's center, to attract as many individual tourists visiting Belgrade over the weekend.
eKapija: The Tulip Inn hotel is famous for its wedding celebrations. Please, present your wedding ceremony offer briefly.
– I'm always happy to talk about our offer for organizing wedding celebrations, as I believe that it is complete, interesting and financially affordable and that it fits perfectly into the needs of future newlyweds. We offer several packages starting with EUR 20 per person. The packages have been formed based on the most frequent client demands, but are, of course, subject to change in line with the newlyweds' wishes. Each package encompasses a buffet or a set menu, unlimited consumption of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, decoration, an overnight stay at the honeymoon suite, a gift dinner for the first anniversary, a voucher in the amount of EUR 100 for a honeymoon trip through our partner agency to an exotic destination and preferential accommodation prices for the wedding party. Packages differ in food and drink selection, types of decoration and other gifts accompanying the selected offer. We also offer catering in newlyweds' homes, as well as catering for wedding ceremonies held outside our hotel.
eKapija: What makes Tulip Inn specific regarding the organization of wedding ceremonies and why do newlyweds recommend your hotel above others?
Our wedding ceremony offer is all-encompassing, which enables newlyweds to have every detail of their wedding planned and organized professionally by coming to Tulip Inn Putnik, and the only thing up to them is to have a good time together with their guests.
The fact that our offer is complete provides newlyweds with an opportunity to check nearly all items in their wedding planner. The number of future newlyweds who have previously attended other wedding ceremonies held at Tulip Inn Putnik as guests and who now wish to organize the ceremony at the hotel is a great indicator. It often happens that those who married here later organize baptism ceremonies and birthday celebrations for their children at the hotel.
eKapija: Are you over-scheduled and how far ahead does a wedding ceremony need to be scheduled? How many weddings have been organized at Tulip Inn this year?
– We have two halls, which are used for private celebrations and business events alike, so the ceremony needs to be scheduled at least five to six months ahead. As a rule, however, newlyweds send requests half a year to a year ahead. Ceremonies for next autumn have already been confirmed.
eKapija: What does Tulip Inn offer regarding seminars and other business gatherings? What are the capacities of the two halls?
Our team has a rich experience in organizing various events: from conferences, lectures, presentations, business meetings, to mini exhibits, and we cooperate with numerous companies in Belgrade.
eKapija: The hotel's spa zone was renovated this summer. What did the renovation entail? Tell us something about the new content.
– There are two key innovations in the fitness and spa center. In the spa zone, instead of the Turkish bath we used to have, two new saunas have been installed – a Finnish sauna and an infrared sauna, whereas the fitness zone has been rearranged and expanded. The entire fitness and spa center takes up 900 m2 and features an indoor pool, making the offer complete.
eKapija: What are Tulip Inn's plans for the coming period and what will you be working on in 2017?
– In 2017, we will definitely focus a bit more on promoting the bar and restaurant services. We believe our offer is good and affordable and we wish as many people as possible to know this.
eKapija: Are any further expansions, new features, or improvements of certain segments planned?
– We are always trying to update both the services we offer and the premises we work in. We are currently planning to rearrange the foyer in front of the banquet hall on the mezzanine, where coffee breaks during business meetings are otherwise organized. As well, we are planning to adapt another conference hall of the boardroom type at a certain point, as we receive a lot of requests for events with a smaller number of participants. We are also planning to rearrange the hotel bar.
– Bringing the offer in line with the demands of the market, regarding purely economic factors. When it comes to other factors, there's professional approach, politeness and honesty towards clients. We often like to point out that consistency is a key to success.
eKapija: How would you assess Belgrade's offer regarding the hotel business?
– I believe that what Belgrade has to offer in terms of hotels is not bad, but it is not well balanced. In the past few years, numerous four-star hotels have opened and the plans mostly pertain to five-star hotels, without anyone thinking about the fact that Belgrade sorely needs quality three-star hotels. Being a three-star hotel offering content mandatory in hotels of higher categories, we find this to be to our advantage, of course, but since we are talking about the offer in Belgrade on the whole, this is what I'd like to point out.
In addition to opening new hotels, as many tourists need to be attracted as possible, and each guest will opt for a hotel best suiting their needs.
M.M.
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