Kotor is set to welcome a new five-star hotel within the next two and a half years, courtesy of CG Hotel, with a project valued at €35 million. The hotel, featuring 120 rooms, is being constructed beneath the Kotor-Risan highway, at the mouth of the Škudra River into the sea, and is expected to be completed within the stated timeframe.
According to reports from “Vijesti,” foundational pit protection works have been completed. Upon completion, the hotel will be managed by Marriott Intl., a renowned American company overseeing operations in nearly 140 countries with 8,800 hotels under its management.
The hotel’s construction site was previously occupied by the Hospitality-Recreational Center (URC), which was demolished in 2005. Until now, it has served as a concrete-sand parking lot. CG Hotel clarified that they acquired the parcel for €5 million and intend to invest €35 million in the project.
Briv Construction is the contractor for the project, strategically located near Kotor’s Freedom Park, separated by the Škudra River, with the Old Town also in proximity.
The hotel will feature two underground floors, a ground floor, and three stories, with a maximum height of 14 meters. The total area of the parcel is approximately 7,500 square meters, with the building occupying 3,671 square meters. As per the environmental impact assessment report, the underground levels will house a parking lot with 98 spaces, the main kitchen, staff locker rooms, a canteen, hotel storage facilities, pool, and fountain reservoirs. The plan includes employing 100 workers in two shifts.
Additionally, besides the hotel, a public hotel beach and promenade are planned, extending from the property and the beach along the Škudra coast to the nearby bridge. The restaurant, lobby, and hall are oriented towards the sea, while the ground floor’s commercial spaces face the highway. This arrangement ensures public access to the promenade, with accommodation situated on the upper floors, alongside spa, wellness, and other services. The property will be connected to the city’s water supply system, and given the absence of a sewage network, a drainage system will be constructed to connect to the public sewage network. A kitchen water treatment facility is also planned for grease separation.
The terraces and roofs will feature abundant greenery, preserving all existing pine trees on the parcel. While some coniferous and evergreen trees on the site will be retained per the assessment report, those deemed unworthy or obstructive to communication corridors and infrastructure will be cut down. Moreover, a pine tree alley along the highway will be preserved.
Among the report’s interesting findings is the estimation that only around 0.2% of wastewater from the Boka Kotorska Bay’s total water mass enters the bay annually.
During the construction and finishing stages, harmful gases, dust, and steam may be emitted. However, significant odors or vibrations are not expected, and temporary pollutants are unlikely to significantly impact the environment. The report also does not anticipate losses or damage to plant and animal species and habitats due to the sandy nature of the soil, where a deep foundation with 120 piles will be installed.
The hotel will refrain from construction activities during the summer tourist season, from late May to early October.
One of the project’s major challenges was securing necessary permits and approvals, notably from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The approval process lasted almost two and a half years, delaying the start of construction until 2023. However, CG Hotel assures they have obtained all necessary permits to continue construction.
Kotor’s part of the bay is included in UNESCO’s World Natural and Cultural Heritage List, designated by the World Heritage Committee in October 1979. The municipality boasts a rich cultural heritage with numerous protected cultural-historical monuments, notably the Old Town, classified as a Category I cultural monument. Due to its natural beauty and marine biodiversity, the Kotor-Risan Bay is also designated as an Emerald Site and later as “Natura 2000,” signifying its importance for the protection and preservation of plant and animal species and their habitats.
According to the report, archaeological remains may be found at the hotel’s location, as recognized by the Heritage Impact Assessment Study. While the land has undergone construction in the 1960s and later in the early 20th century, supervision is necessary due to the extent of the underground floor.
The parcel does not contain protected, rare, or endemic plant species. Considering its small size and urbanized area, there is no significant presence or variety of protected animals, with rodents, seagulls, pigeons, sparrows, swallows, lizards, snakes, frogs, and insects potentially living there.
The Urban Planning, Construction, and Spatial Planning Secretariat of Kotor granted urban-technical conditions (UTC) for the hotel’s construction documentation in January 2021. In the same month, they received the conservation conditions resolution from the local Cultural Heritage Protection Administration. During hotel operation, apart from the land occupied by buildings, a portion will be utilized for infrastructure, with the remainder landscaped, preserving the city’s spirit.
