The most successful tennis player in the history of the sport, Novak Djoković, is attempting to help reopen the Sveti Stefan city-hotel, which has been closed since 2021.
After discussions with Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, Đokovic told Vijesti that this was the main reason for his visit to Montenegro on Sunday. He added that he plans to use his name and influence to resolve the issue.
As the global ambassador for the Aman company, Đokovic explained that they had held “initial discussions” and gathered information about the situation, emphasizing that he is working for the “general interest” of Montenegro. He hopes a solution will soon be “on the horizon.”
“I’ve been tasked and asked by my partners at Aman, of which I am a global ambassador, to help find a solution that is acceptable for both sides. I’m not taking anyone’s side here; I’m simply someone trying to work for the general interest of Montenegro and someone who wants Aman to remain here, as it would be a shame if the situation isn’t resolved and Aman leaves Montenegro,” Đoković said.
He added that he hopes the meetings he’s had so far are just the beginning of finding a solution, and that it will soon be “on the horizon.”
Đoković expressed sadness over the fact that the situation with Sveti Stefan has been unresolved for the past four years.
“I got married at Sveti Stefan in 2014, and those are really my happiest memories from Montenegro. It’s sad from my perspective to see the situation as it is over the last four years. When this all started, when Sveti Stefan closed, I tried to find out why this was happening and to help in any way I could. But the conditions weren’t right until now for me to use my name, position, and influence to come to a resolution,” Đoković said.
Since August, Đokovic has been the global ambassador for Aman, a globally recognized hotel brand and chain.
“I think they came to Montenegro in 2006, bringing in many foreign investors who later invested in Montenegro through Luštica, Porto Montenegro, and Portonovi,” Djoković noted.
Adriatic Properties, the company that leases Sveti Stefan, owned by Greek businessman Petros Stathis, has kept the city-hotel and the Miločer villa closed since 2021, halting construction on the new Kraljičina Plaža hotel since the arbitration process began.
Aman has refused to reopen the city-hotel without an agreement on the operation of Kraljičina Plaža and the path between it and the spa center in the Miločerski Park, citing concerns over guaranteeing safety and privacy for guests.
The issue revolves around the use of Kraljičina Plaža, which had been closed to the public for decades and reserved exclusively for hotel guests and political elites. The city-hotel was closed in 2021 after locals damaged the fence on Kraljičina Plaža, and the Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone Management ordered its removal, opening up the paths in Miločerski Park for public use.
This led to a dispute before the International Arbitration Court in London. In November 2022, Sveti Stefan Hotels, HTP Miločer, and the then-Ministry of Economic Development sued Adriatic Properties and Aidway Investments Limited from the British Virgin Islands, as well as Aman Resort, for breaching the contract. The companies quickly countered with a lawsuit seeking damages of 100 million euros.
The main hearing is scheduled for May, and in the meantime, the Commercial Court has recognized the London Arbitration Court’s decision, ordering Sveti Stefan Hotels and the Government to pay 620,000 euros to Adriatic Properties for the costs of the arbitration proceedings.
The arbitration concerns the lease agreements for the Sveti Stefan hotel and Miločer villa, as well as the lease for the Kraljičina Plaža hotel, which were signed on January 31, 2007. On January 15, 2007, the Government approved the 30-year lease for the Sveti Stefan hotel, the Miločer villa, and the Kraljičina Plaža hotel.
Under the agreement, the guaranteed annual rent is 1.6 million euros, but it can be revised every three years. The lessee is obligated to keep the hotels open for a minimum of 11 months and invest 50 million euros in the reconstruction of Sveti Stefan.
In 2015, an annex to the agreement extended the lease for Sveti Stefan by 12 years, until 2049, and reduced the rent from 1.6 to 1.1 million euros. The annex for Kraljičina Plaža extended the lease from 30 to 90 years and allowed the construction of a condo-hotel, with half of the apartments for sale and half for hotel use. The beaches were also leased for several decades.
The resulting dispute has led to another issue – for almost two years, Stathis’ company has refused to pay rent to the government’s company HTP Miločer for the lease of the Miločerski Park complex, where the old Kraljičina Plaža hotel once stood and where construction of a new hotel is underway. The quarterly rent is 87,000 euros.
The quarterly rent of 380,000 euros is also unpaid to Sveti Stefan Hotels, the owner of the Sveti Stefan city-hotel and the Miločer villa. Both companies are facing severe financial difficulties due to these issues.
