Vienna International Hotelmanagement AG (VI), the biggest Austrian hotel operator, will act as management partner for the 5-star Marriott Hotel Minsk. The opening of the high-end property is planned for the beginning of 2015. After expanding in Germany, the Austrian hotel group, Vienna International Hotelmanagement AG, is taking over a management contract for the international Marriott Hotel brand in Minsk, Republic of Belarus. The 220-room high-end property is owned by Falcon Investment Company LLS. Consulting activities during the preopening period and operation of the property after its opening are incorporated in the management contract.
Dr. Andreas Karsten, CEO of VI Hotels, sees big potential in the take-over of the hotel management: “Our core business is the successful management of hotels. Now we are strategically positioning ourselves as franchisee for an international brand for the Marriott Hotel Minsk. We see a new market for VI as well as additional potential for the future.”
Dr. Thani Al Kuwari, the director of Falcon Investment Company LLS, sees a great opportunity for a constructive collaboration: “We expect this hotel project to be very successful and to become the place to stay in the 5-star segment in Minsk. The high service standards and reputation of Marriott and VI, as well as the perfect location and unsaturated market, have a grand promise for a successful investment.”
“The hotel is due to open under the brand name Marriott System Hotel. We are happy to have VI Hotels & Resorts as a partner who has been active for 25 years on the Eastern European markets and in the high-end hotel industry,” says Mohammed Dawood Salman Al-Qaes, Managing Partner of PD Vivat Project Development, the company managing the project on behalf of the investor. Martin Lachout, Chief Project Developer at VI, points out the group’s strengths in this deal: “Due to our long-term experience in Eastern European countries, the VI group is known for its competent market know-how in terms of development and tailor-made management solutions on an international high-quality service level.”
