Zoran Drakulić to have hotel built in Kneza Miloša Street - "East Point’s" plans for building of "Rečno Brodarstvo"

The building of company “Jugoslovensko Rečno Brodarstvo" (Yugoslav River Shipping) in 82 Kneza Miloša Street in Belgrade will be turned into a luxury hotel at about 19,000 square meters. This 15m EUR worth of investment will be realized by company "East point", owned by businessman Zoran Drakulić, which bought aforementioned company only few months ago.

In exceptionally attractive location, in the vicinity of American, Canadian and Croatian embassies, company "East point" plans to open a luxury five-star hotel in few years. The building, which has been used as office space to the date, will encompass 171 suites, a wellness center, a restaurant and conference halls.

- This hotel will be in excellent location, in the vicinity of embassies, and that is where we see our advantage over the others. Our guests will be businessmen who will find everything they need in that hotel. I can freely claim that the hotel will have the contents that every modern businessman finds necessary, as well as the ones that no other hotel in the city has - says Stojan Stanić, the Project Manager in company "East Point".

Hotel with two blocks

According to preliminary solution, future hotel will have two blocks. Block "A" will consist of three towers – the central seven-storey tower and two side four-storey towers. Only the central building will be changed because the preliminary solution anticipates construction of another floor on its top where a glass restaurant will be opened.

Block "B" will be built in the yard of this building. According to the project, this part of the future hotel will have total of nine floors.

Its exterior will be similar to the looks of the building of Italian Cultural Center, which is in the vicinity of that location.

In addition to these two blocks, two underground floors at about 3,700 square meters will be built underneath the entire complex. About 1,750 square meters will be reserved for parking places under the ground.

Expansion

- The speed at which the project will be realized depends on the city institutions. For the sake of expansion of the surface of building in 82 Kneza Miloša Street, which occupies about 10,000 square meters, company "East point" will be having intensive talks with the people from the Monument Preservation Institute because the facility is under protection of the state, as well as with the people from the City Planning Secretariat about issuing of necessary permits.

- Not including underground levels, the preliminary solution anticipates expansion of this facility by about 5,000 square meters. The city had understanding when reconstruction works were carried out on the National Theater, Hotel "Metropol", the building of "Mašinoprojekt" at the beginning of Knez Mihailova Street... All of them have annexes now. We have already scheduled the meetings with the authorized people, we are willing to make certain corrections, but we expect them to be cooperative as well – says Stojan Stanić.

Privatization of "Rečno Brodarstvo"

Zoran Drakulić bought "Jugoslovensko Rečno Brodarstvo" in February 2009. He offered 24.5m EUR for that company on the tender, but he also promised to invest 17.5m EUR in it. "Rečno Brodarstvo" is the leader in Serbian market of internal and international river transportation, and its fleet comprises 16 ships, 2 tugboats and 120 barges. This company owns 49,000 square meters of land in New Belgrade and about 20,000 square meters of agricultural land in Pančevo, as well as piers in Prahovo. JRB also owns a business building in Kneza Miloša Street and administrative building at 265 square meters in New Belgrade, boarding house at 400 square meters in spa resort Vrnjačka Banja, hostel at 600 square meters in New Belgrade and "Brodoremont" in Pančevo.

(Note: complete text is taken over from newspaper "Blic" of April 8, 2009)