Reconstruction of Hotel Park in Nis to be completed no later than February 2019

The reconstruction and the extension of the cult Hotel Park in Nis, which was bought in late 2014 by Raavex Group, has been going on for two years. The completion deadline has been extended several times due to the changes made to the project, aiming to turn this beautiful edifice in downtown Nis into a representative hotel and tourist facility. The changes made to the plan meant that new permits were required, which caused the delay. The final deadline is February 2019, but Hotel Park is expected to be ready a few months before.

As Sanja Grozdanovic, the director of Raavex Group, points out for Turisticki Svet, the first business plan was made with the idea to connect the hotel with health tourism, as healthcare and tourism are the most promising sectors, she believes. There was also an idea for the facility to be turned into a clinic. Little by little, owner Andrija Radojicic came to the idea of having it be a hotel that would differ from the existing hotels in Nis, not merely providing accommodation capacities, but also bringing back the bohemian spirit of Nis, being not so much an accommodation facility as a hospitality facility.

– There are no congress hotels in downtown Nis, and there's a serious demand in that field. We've decided to create the conditions for congress tourism in the city's center, that is, to make a 300-seat congress hall. The hotel will have seven restaurants, as well as a spa center, a bar, a beer bar and a casino. It will also have an exclusive restaurant and a Vienna-style patisserie, bringing us back to the matinee theme. Hotel park used to have all this once. It will also feature an Italian restaurant and a large rooftop balcony. That section is being extended, and the top will be accessible by a panoramic lift – Grozdanovic reveals.

– According to the Law on Tourism, in order for a hotel to receive a high category, it is necessary to have at least one parking space for each eight hospitality spots. The hotel will lose a part of the existing parking lot due to the extension of the balcony, so we will build an underground garage. This also required a new permit. In addition to the rooms, the hotel will also have plenty of other features, which will certainly benefit the city – Sanja Grozdanovic is convinced.

– Hotel Park is the first modern hotel in Nis, raised in 1937. It is part of the city's historical and cultural heritage and was put under state protection in 1983. The reconstruction is therefore being carried out under the supervision of the Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments. It is located in the neighborhood of the mayor's seat, across from the city park after which it was named.