Hotel Stara Planina, which has gained best marks for its high standards and excellent service on sites such as Booking and Tripadvisor, is ready to give a memorable experience for its guests this winter season. Goran Karadžić, acting director ofJ JP Stara Planina, told us what you can enjoy if you decide to rest right here.
GORAN KARADŽIĆ, ACTING DIRECTOR OF JP STARA PLANINA
Stara Planina has grown in popularity as a vacation resort in recent years. What preparations did Hotel Stara Planina make for the upcoming winter season?
Hotel Stara Planina is a true mountain spa center that operates 365 days a year, which means we are always ready to serve our guests with a first-class atmosphere and relaxation. The hotel's occupancy is satisfactory throughout the year, with demand for additional rooms increasing in the winter because we are on a mountain with plenty of snow, and the service is more than competitive, particularly for family vacations. For children aged four to ten, we have provided equipment and a free ski school for a stay of seven nights. So the whole family can enjoy the snow and other hotel services.
The hotel is rated four stars, but you believe it's worth five stars, as indicated by the evaluations on Booking and Tripadvisor. What does the hotel have to offer its visitors that makes it so appealing?
To begin with, all hotel guests have a parking space in our hotel's underground garage, which is critical in mountain conditions because our visitors come to rest, not to worry about where their cars are, whether they will have to clear snow from them, or what they will discover below. Our all-inclusive light service, which includes a rich breakfast, lunch, and variety dinner, as well as drinks with meals, is very popular with our customers. The service also includes access to the spa and fitness center, as well as a children's swimming school. The playroom is open to toddlers aged three to twelve, who will be amused by our animators. We also provide a teen club, gaming, billiards, table tennis, and a variety of other activities. We made sure that our visitors felt unique and that they were able to relax and enjoy themselves completely.
The hotel's position is unique because the surrounding area is uninhabited, allowing guests to enjoy pure nature as well as snow and good skiing in the winter. What would the joys of winter be like during these months?
All mountain lovers say that we are one of the most beautiful mountains, we say that we are the most beautiful. Our friends from the Ski Resorts of Serbia took care of the ski slopes, so we are sure that we are not falling behind the world's largest ski centers. The first gondola in Serbia is approximately 20 meters away from the hotel, and the artificial snow cannons are already in operation. So it's evident that our skiers and other snow sports enthusiasts have plenty to look forward to, and that this ski season will be spectacular. Nothing is left to chance here; everything is tailored to our guests' comfort and relaxation.
In addition to the Hotel Stara Planina, the SP Resort's Babin Zub hotel and the mountain lodge Midžor are both nearby. Can the visitors who are staying there use the Stara Planina Hotel's services?
Guests staying at these two facilities get special discounts on services at the Hotel Stara Planina. We also had to look after the Stara Planina Hotel's guests, who, of course, come first.
What is the potential of Stara Planina for building new hotel capacity? Would you welcome competition?
Stara Planina's potential is excellent in every way. We are the ideal location for sports preparations, so the construction of a sports hall is planned. The hotel is located at 1,500 m above sea level and is hit by two sea wind waves (from the Black and Aegean). The air is as if we were at 1,000 m. That is why nature is so lovely, because there are deciduous trees as well as conifers at that altitude. A public-private partnership with potential investors is also planned, so there will be no real competition because we are all working in the interest of Stara Planina. There are some indications that we may become the Winter Olympic Center, but let's not reveal everything.
Text: ANA KRALJ
Photos: JP STARA PLANINA
