September 22 (SeeNews) - Dogus Group Croatia, a unit of Turkish conglomerate Dogus Group, and Hyatt Hotels Corporation plan to open Croatia's first Hyatt Regency Hotel in the heart of Zadar in the spring of 2019, Dogus said in a statement.
Dogus and Hyatt will transform the old facility of the Maraska beverage factory into a luxury 130-room hotel, it said in a statement made available to SeeNews.
In addition to the hotel, Dogus will build a further 115 luxury residences in Zadar and a commercial area with a Yacht Club, exclusive shops, restaurants and cafes. The overall investment, including the hotel, residences and supporting facilities, is estimated at 100 million euro ($112.4 million), Dogus said.
"We are convinced that a brand like Hyatt will significantly contribute to the attractiveness of the city of Zadar as a destination, but also the overall development of Croatian tourism, as well as its positioning in the segment of luxury tourism", Burak Baykan, the regional director of Dogus Group for Croatia and Montenegro, said.
Baykan noted with this latest project, Dogus's overall investments in Croatia have risen to 350 million euro.
The interior design of the hotel has been entrusted to British company DeSalles Flint, specializing in the design of hotels and residences, which has equipped several Hyatt hotels, worldwide.
In June, a senior Hyatt official told SeeNews it is exploring its opportunities for entering Croatia's capital Zagreb.
Elsewhere in southeast Europe, the hotel operator plans to make its appearance on the Bulgarian market. It opened a Hyatt Regency in Serbia's Belgrade in 1990 and become the first international chain to step in that market.
($=0.890080 euro)