Belgium Rezidor to Open Hotel in Novosibirsk

Apr. 25 – Belgium Rezidor Hotel Group, an international hotel operator, increased its presence in Russia by opening a premier business 150-room Park Inn in Novosibirsk. The operator also plans to open up 10 to 20 more hotels across the country, a company press release said.

The first hotel in Siberian Novosibirsk will be developed in cooperation with Regional Hotel Chain (RHC), one of Rezidor’s development partners in Russia.

“We are delighted to have signed the eighth contract with RHC. It further strengthens our common target to open 10 to 20 Park Inn hotels across Russia,” commented Kurt Ritter, CEO of Rezidor. The opening of next Park Inn is planned in Astrakhan for June 2011.

Located east of the Ural Mountains, Novosibirsk is Russia’s third-largest city, after Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1.4 million.

The city industrial complex consists of 214 large and average industrial enterprises, which produce more than two-thirds of all industrial output of the Novosibirsk region. Region leading industries are the electric power industry, gas supply, water supply, metallurgy, metal working, and mechanical engineering.

City has one of the most diversified economies in Russia with rising banking and financial sectors, strong research, development and educational institutions.

Akademgorodok sits approximately 30 kilometers south of Novosibirsk as a scientific community with 15 universities and dozens of institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

“Despite these demand-generators, Novosibirsk lacks internationally-branded hotels – like many major cities in Russia. We see great opportunities there and look forward to opening the future Park Inn as one of the premier business hotels in town,” said Kurt Ritter.

“With our strategic focus on the development of Russia’s regional hospitality sector with international quality accommodation for both leisure and business travelers, we include Novosibirsk into our top-10 priority list for the RHC roll-out across the most investment attractive and business dynamic regions”, added Vladislav Smirnov, General Director of RHC.

Rezidor operates the brands Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

The new hotel will be located in the city center, and is scheduled to be set in operation in Q1 2014. Besides 150 guest rooms, the hotel will offer an all-day-dining restaurant, a lobby bar, a gym and five meeting rooms.

“Belgium, which is currently Russia’s 17th largest trade partner, is determined to improve its position on the Russian market,” stated Foreign Minister Steven Vanackere during Crown Prince Philippe of Belgium’s trade mission from April 4-11, 2011.

The Crown Prince, acting in his role of Honorary Chairman of Belgium’s Foreign Trade Board, was accompanied by some 330 business representatives and government officials from the country’s three regions, Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels.

The visit was Belgium’s second largest economic mission ever, and a clear sign that Belgian businesses want to seize growing opportunities for investing in Russia.