This summer marks the debut of a new accommodation option in the south of Croatia with the opening of Hotel Vallum. And we caught up with Katja Krešić, the Director of Operations of St. Pietro, to discover more about this new project. Unique in its design, the hotel offers twenty-one individual apartment units, each designed for ultimate comfort and luxury. With a focus on creating a serene and luxurious retreat, Hotel Vallum is poised to become a new favourite for travellers seeking relaxation and indulgence on the Adriatic coast.
Photo - Bozo Radić/CROPIX
So this summer we have a new accommodation option in the south of Croatia with the opening of Vallum. Can you tell me more about the whole project?
Yes, so the owners firstly started with the opening a restaurant, St. Pietro, on the island of Supetar a couple of years ago which is around a ten-minute boat ride from Cavtat. And then they decided to create something new with the construction and launch of a new hotel, Hotel Vallum. We can say that this kind of project is rather unique on the market. The reason is that Hotel Vallum is a property that is made up of individual apartments. In total we have twenty-one accommodations units in the hotel, as well as a spa, a fitness centre and a bar, and what rounds off the whole project, to make it in a way complete, is that Hotel Vallum has a direct view onto the island of Supetar. We are starting to build a brand, the brand of St. Pietro. We are, of course, at the beginning of this story, however I believe that we are certainly moving in the right direction.
Photo - Bozo Radić/CROPIX
So the whole hotel is made up of separate apartments?
That's correct. We have five different types of apartments, President, Royal, Deluxe, Superior and Premium. For example, the President apartment is a three-bedroomed apartment that is over 150 metres squared. And it is also important to mention that all of our rooms are larger than 60 metres squared, basically much larger than a normal hotel room. All of our bedrooms of course have an en suite bathroom, but we have gone a step further by including a half-bathroom, or guest bathroom, near the living room.
Photo - Bozo Radić/CROPIX
How did your own personal journey in the St. Pietro group begin?
My career in the hotel industry started in Zagreb with the Hilton Group. I worked in the sales department for all three Hiltons in the capital. And then after a few years of working for Hilton I started with Vallum at the beginning of this year. It all started when I was in Dubrovnik on holiday and I visited the island of Supetar. I was curious about this new project and wanted to explore the hotel and the whole story and indeed possibilities. Honestly, I loved the idea. I know it was challenging to move from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, but I saw the absolute value and potential.
What kind of guests is Vallum aimed at and what, in your opinion, will make this hotel stand out from the already large accommodation offer in Dubrovnik and Cavtat?
We don't really have a target audience; our main goal is that when guests arrive they feel at home. In my opinion this hotel is a perfect option, thanks to its peaceful location, for those guests wishing to spend a longer period of time to explore the whole region. It truly is a great base. And with the added, almost unique option, of having a restaurant on an island to use. It's true that there is a lot of competition in Cavtat and Dubrovnik, however I think that we have a lot of added bonuses that makes Vallum distinctive. Just looking at the location, I can't think of another hotel that is as close to the Adriatic as we are, on a tranquil bay with an unspoilt view over the sea. The interior is designed in modern and contemporary style that I'm sure that guests will find both inviting and elegant. I guess our target market could be described as people who are looking for true relaxation and pleasure.
So with Hotel Vallum and St. Pietro in the same group how do you plan of connecting these two objects and make an overall brand?
Yes, we of course have a plan to create a brand – St. Pietro – from our objects, and we'll do this in a number of ways. So we have created and branded towels, beach bags, a perfume, cushions all with the logo of the keys of St. Pietro. We say that our keys are the keys that open the door to heaven. In fact, all the future projects that we will get involved in will be under the same brand and will have the keys as the centrepiece. Of course, we will arrange direct boat transfers between Vallum and the island for all our guests. We firmly believe that this is a winning combination. And of course there are future plans for the island of Supetar, from a pop-up summer cinema to a DJ and live music over the weekend. And it is also important to mention that all guests of Vallum will receive a discount on the island.
From the first steps to completion, which looks like being very soon, how difficult and indeed how long was the whole process?
The first construction of the hotel started about three years ago, however in recent months we have really began to intensively work on the interior finishing and decorations. As you can see the hotel is a very different architectural design and therefore was slightly more challenging to construct. About nine months ago we started with all the interior works and to say that we are pleased with the final result would be an understatement. One thing that I must mention about the interior design is that every room has different paintings that were in fact all produced from postcards of Cavtat.