BEHIND THE SCENES – Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera

In the Zupa Dubrovacka area tourism started to develop immediately following the First World War, when the first hotel, Štrand, was built in Kupari area. During this time the area also acquired public parks, promenades and the roots of its tourist infrastructure today. The people of Dubrovnik took to the area, found it very interesting and started to build their holiday villas there. The cozy bay overlooking the islands of Supetar, Mrkan and Bobara was perfect for guests from the nearby hotel Štrand and in 1924 an idyllic bathing villa was built, which is now a protected monument. This event marked the real beginning of tourism in Srebreno, where today can be found the newest hotel in Dubrovnik.

Hotel Orlando, which welcomed its first guests in 1969, was designed by Tito’s architect, Branko Bom, and once stood on this site. He wanted to stimulate the rebirth of tourism in Srebreno with a hotel consisting of 275 rooms and acting as the main tourist centre of Dubrovnik. The hotel, however, was plundered and destroyed during the barbaric attacks on Dubrovnik and whilst the beautiful beach still useable, the facilities around it were crying out for improvement and recovery to get back its elite resort status of pre-World War 2.

A new era began for Dubrovnik Riviera when in April 2014 the construction work on the Sheraton Hotel began, a reminder that hotels have always been the heart of Zupa. The 50 million EUR investment, with the largest regional hotel group of HUP Zagreb behind it, brought Dubrovnik a world-famous hotel and the largest conference hall in the region. HUP Zagreb also has under its management the hotels Westin, Sheraton, International and Panorama Zagreb, with more than 1,300 rooms and the company has for many years been successfully managed by the energetic Anđelko Leko, who despite his age led the entire construction of the project with unwavering energy.

The Sheraton Hotel Group operates more than 1,400 hotels across the world and the Elite club status ensures the high standards of the hotel. The second Croatian Sheraton is the 430rd member of the prestigious club, which is a part of a Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide grouping. According to Robert Koren, Sheraton representative for this part of Europe, this hotel is among five best Sheraton Hotels in the world, which having visited we find easy to believe. The hotel is managed by HUP Company under the Sheraton franchise and the partnership has proved to be successful, as full compliance with high standards can be seen and felt at every step.

Vlaho Alamar is the architect behind the hotel’s design, situated as it is in the core of a three-armed bays. Despite the building being quite high at six floors, he has made it fit very nicely into its surroundings. The entrance hall that allows access to all parts of the hotel is especially attractive, the architecture being modern with elements of traditional Dalmatian style. The rounded external lines are soft and comfortable and all of the indoor spaces interact with their external surroundings through large glass surfaces.

The hotel restaurant is one of the region’s largest with more than 450 seats. All of the gastronomic facilities are open to sunny terraces, which are especially suitable for receptions of congress guests. With this hotel, Croatia has acquired one of most beautiful spaces for pool parties. The congress rooms are very airy and have a luxurious allotted space for coffee breaks or an accompanying exhibition.

It is clear that the investor is familiar with and has rich experience of Croatia’s largest congress centre, as they have created a modern and spacious congress hall that can accommodate up to 2,000 participants. The six-metre high ceiling is a fine feature and allows for productions that might be more demanding. The hall offers a separate entrance and a large car park, making it the perfect choice for demanding car launch events.

The combination of Sheraton standards and the many years of HUP company experience are behind an excellent catering experience. It is a combination of international and Dalmatian cuisine at the very highest level. The hotel manager, Damir Lukić, has extensive experience in managing top hotels in Dubrovnik (as he was director of Dubrovnik Palace) and he ensures that everything runs smoothly. As he told us, congress guests are particularly impressed by the Piano Bar, where they usually extend their socializing.

With this hotel Dubrovnik is a true convention hotel richer, which any well-developed meetings destination would love to have. With its location halfway between the airport and Dubrovnik it is perfectly sited. As an ensemble it is modern and at the same time very enjoyable, and according to the assurances of the managers the hotel will operate right throughout the whole year, which means a great contribution to the meetings industry of Dubrovnik. With all of its infrastructure it lends itself especially to car launch events.

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