Less than a month after it was announced that the hotel "Neretva", a kind of symbol of Mostar will be part of the prestigious hotel chain "Hilton", today the continuation of works on the renovation of this facility has been officially announced, as the portal Avaz finds out.
In May, a franchise agreement was concluded
In Berlin, on May 15, the company "Interšped" Sarajevo, owned by Halim Zukić, a buyer of "Neretva", concluded a franchise agreement with one of the world's largest hotel chains Hilton, which announced the opening of two hotels in BiH – Hotel Neretva Mostar, Tapestry Collection by Hilton in Mostar and Hampton by Hilton Sarajevo City Centre, which will be open no later than 2026.
The Avaz team today recorded the beginning of the continuation of the works, which started after almost five years, when the second phase was completed, within which, in addition to rough concrete and masonry works, the roof structure was completed.
National monument of BiH
As in the previous two phases, the works will be carried out by the famous Mostar construction company "Građevinar Fajić", and as before, they will be carried out under the supervision of the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the FBiH since the hotel "Neretva" is on the Temporary List of National Monuments of BiH.
As the investor is obliged to keep the authenticity of the facility, Samid Sinanović, the project manager said that the exterior of the building will be fully executed in accordance with the project documentation, on the basis of which the approval for construction was given.
Although, he said, there was a whole list of reasons for concern from the local population to the profession that pointed to visible deviations from the old construction, nevertheless, this will not happen.
– Definitely, this is not the final appearance of the reinforced concrete part of the building. Openings like this won't be ultimately. Precisely, we are installing a scaffolding for the execution of works in such a way that this concrete gets a lining of façade brick, and then to repeat the shapes of openings as they were and are, after all, visible on the northern wing of the building, including the repetition of the balcony - explained Sinanović.
Hotel "Neretva" was built in 1892 in a specific pseudo-Moorish style, which was then dominant, and was largely demolished in the war.
80 rooms and several restaurants
The work at this stage, in particular, the installation of the façade will, probably, be the most demanding.
– In parallel, Hilton as a hotel group and everything that the fulfillment of these standards requires is in its own way demanding. Ultimately, this result that we will realize that in a facility that has been a hotel for 100 years and hosted travelers and high-ranking guests, after 30 years will be back to what it was, but in a new guise and under the hat of Hilton is a demanding task. But the team of professionals, both local and international, gathered by the investor at least a guarantee that it will go in the best way – sinanovic said.
Otherwise, "Neretva" will have 80 rooms, several restaurants, a spectacular terrace, an indoor pool, a spa center and other top hotel facilities.
20 years ago, Zukić, as the then owner of VGT insurance from Visoko from the former municipality of Stari Grad-Mostar, bought the hotel "Neretva" for 600,000 KM. It waited for the necessary approvals for six years, and after the construction of the first phase of works, the construction site was neglected for almost seven years.