Novotel opened in Almaty at the beginning of the year, the five-star Double Tree by Hilton was launched in mid-summer, and the five-star Kempinski Hotel is under construction. 

  Scot Holland | CBRE experts say construction is underway on the site of the Holyday Inn Express hotels and the former Zhetysu Hotel in Almaty and Nur-Sultan. It is unknown at this time what brand will be located here.

Choose the most popular 

  According to the Statistics Committee, last year more than 1 million guests stayed in 3 *, 4 * and 5 * star, brand hotels. Well-known hotels are usually chosen by foreign guests. For example, in 2018, 70% of more than 587 thousand foreigners or hotel guests chose a well-known brand of hotels in Kazakhstan. The logic of this choice of tourists is clear: a well-known brand is perceived as a guarantee of quality, and staying in hotels with well-known international brands guarantees security and a simple level of service.

Currently, 90% of the brand hotels are located in Almaty and Nur-Sultan. The capital is the leader in the number of luxury hotels. These are the data of a survey conducted in April by the expert service of LLP "Property Assessment". Currently, Nur-Sultan has 12 chain hotels of major hotel operators such as Marriot, Hilton, Rixos, Radisson SAS, Accor. According to the company's research, these hotels have 2,393 rooms, which is 25% of all hotel rooms in the city. 45% of chain hotels are 5-star, and 4-star and 3-star hotels are 40% and 10%, respectively.

According to experts, currently investors who want to invest in luxury hotels are mostly interested in the design of 3- and 4-star hotels."So far, we do not see any interest from investors in 5-star hotels, they often prefer to choose low-star hotels. 5-star hotels are often visited only during various summits, conferences and large exhibitions. And 3 and 4 star hotels are more affordable, so the rooms are not empty, "said Scot Holland | CBRE. 

The amount of investment in such projects is often kept secret, and a hotel with a well-known brand name can be owned by several people, as the partnership is organized on a franchise basis, as it is cheaper than international management. Representatives of brand hotels shared in italics about the conditions and principles of operation of popular hotels in Kazakhstan. 

The Ritz-Carlton 

In Kazakhstan, The Ritz-Carlton suite is located in two cities: Almaty and Nur-Sultan. The Ritz-Carlton brand is not a franchise, it manages the hotel directly. The amount of investment in the hotel has not been announced, but it is known from open sources that 1.5 billion has been spent on the Esentai Park project, which is a major part of the hotel. The Ritz-Carlton network came to Kazakhstan due to private investors. 
 
  Currently, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Almaty has a good performance, its occupancy rate is 70%.90% of the guests came on business, and only 10% had a holiday. According to the prices listed on the hotel's website, the cost of the simplest room starts from 100 thousand tenge, and the cost of presidential suites - up to 3.5 million tenge. 

“The financial model varies depending on the market in which each hotel operates. Instead of a direct return on investment in the luxury segment, the location of a global brand in this city and a certain place will have a positive economic impact on many factors: real estate and land prices, consumer confidence and attracting high-income communities, "said The Ritz-Carlton Almaty. .

The Ritz-Carlton Astana investor received $ 430 million from Verny Capital. Compared to the hotel of this brand in Almaty, the prices here are much cheaper. According to the price listed on the hotel's website, the cheapest room costs 77 thousand tenge. 

According to the hotel, the capital's The Ritz-Carlton building has several features. For example, panoramic windows provide 90% of the entire area with natural sunlight, and three types of edible grass are grown on the roof of the shopping center, Mökki restaurant and SPA center. Rainwater is used to irrigate them.Rainwater is collected in a tanker, where it is filtered and treated, and then enters the drip irrigation system. The greenery grown here is added to the food by the hotel chef.Representatives of the hotel said: “So far, this is a seasonal decision, but in the future we want to start building a greenhouse. In addition to edible dill, various flowers grow on the roof. There is a special heating system on the roof glass, so the snow melts quickly and falls into the tanker, which collects water for irrigation.

Hilton

  Most of the hotels of the world's largest hotel corporation are located in Nur-Sultan. There are 3 hotels of different levels in the city: Hilton Astana, Hilton Garden Inn Astana and Hampton by Hilton. In June, the hotel in Almaty was technically commissioned. The Double Tree by Hilton Hotel on Dosmukhamedov Street is currently hosting guests. 

The facility was built by Abli-Kurylys. The volume of investments exceeds 6 billion tenge. The project is subsidized by the state within the Business Road Map - 2020. At the end of July, Abli-Kurylys was hiring hotel staff.  

YE'S Apartment Hotel

  Not only well-known brands, but also new networks are coming to Kazakhstan. For example, the construction of the first hotel of the Russian YE'S chain has started in Nur-Sultan.This is a separate chain of hotels, founded in 2011. Apartment format is a residential complex with individual apartments, which have elements typical of a hotel (service desk, registration system, etc.). The project is funded by KazCapital Invest with an investment of about $ 50 million. A second YE`S hotel may also be built in Almaty.

The presence of online hotels in the country is an indicator of the investment attractiveness of the state, so the authorities are interested in increasing the number of such hotels in Kazakhstan. And for the investor, a hotel of an international brand is a low-risk, preferable to sell the object or get a bank loan. Finally, online hotels have proven to be more stable than others during the crisis. This is due to the constant and stable demand from loyal customers and corporate tourists. 
 
  According to Tatiana Khodorovskaya, a marketer at the Kazakhstan Association of Hotels and Restaurants, it will take 15-17 years to cover the costs of the hotel business.

"The hotel is a long-term investment. Of course, we see that the investor is trying to get his money back in a short time, say, 5 years. But this is not possible, it is necessary to take into account the payback period, "the expert said.

Перевод статьи: Әбдірахман Лаура

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