Ribas Hotels Group expands its presence in the Carpathians: how Bukovel is becoming a point of attraction for investors
9 October 22:14
EXCLUSIVE
Ribas Hotels Group has presented an updated development strategy in the Carpathians. Alina Levkovych, the company’s commercial director, spoke about this during the business discussion “Bukovel as an investment magnet: has the last train left the station?” organized by "Komersant Ukrainian".
She emphasized: “Bukovel is not just a resort, but an investment case with a guaranteed ROI.
Ribas Hotels Group: 55 projects and 17% of the market
According to Levkovich, Ribas Hotels Group currently manages, designs, or builds 55 hotels, which is about 17% of the Ukrainian hotel management market.
The company operates not only in Ukraine but also in Poland, Turkey, Moldova, and has seven projects in Bali. The customer base includes more than 300 thousand guests, of whom about 20% return repeatedly.
Ribas is also actively developing development and investment areas, having more than 1300 regular investors. The total number of rooms in the chain exceeds 1000, ranging from three-star business hotels to five-star resort complexes.
Bukovel as an investment case
The history of Ribas in Bukovel began in 2018 with the opening of the Ribas Karpaty hotel, which today demonstrates more than 70% of the average annual occupancy. According to Levkovich, the hotel’s value has tripled since its construction, and its yield is 12-13% per annum.
“This example shows that Bukovel is not only a winter resort, but a full-fledged all-season location with a high potential for return on investment,” she emphasized.
Staff shortage and new management strategy
Levkovich called the lack of qualified personnel one of the key challenges for the region’s development. Due to the high cost of housing, the company has to create its own housing infrastructure for employees.
In particular, Ribas has started building a staff apartment complex in the center of Bukovel. It will include 200 rooms, children’s areas, shops and recreation facilities.
The project has an investment component – the company offers private investors to join the construction, guaranteeing 10% per annum:
Ribas itself will rent apartments for its employees for ten years, providing a stable return for investors,” Levkovich explained.
“So far, about 30% of the units have been sold, and the minimum entry threshold is affordable for small private capital.
Demand exceeds supply
According to Ribas Hotels Group analysts, the demand for hotel real estate in Bukovel is only 30-40% satisfied. This is confirmed by the data on the 500% increase in the purchase of tickets by Ukrzaliznytsia to the region, as well as consistently high accommodation prices during peak seasons.
Demand is huge, and it is growing faster than supply. For investors, this is a signal that the hotel real estate market in Bukovel is far from saturated,” Levkovych says.
New tools for investors
Ribas is actively developing retail investments. Through its own SnapInvest program, those interested can invest in development projects from 5 thousand hryvnias using a mobile application.
“We are opening the market to small investors – those who want not only to preserve capital but also to join the creation of a new tourism economy in Ukraine,” the director explained.
Service quality is a competitive advantage
In Bukovel, Ribas operates several hotels, including Helios, Wol 07, and the aforementioned Ribas Karpaty. The average rating of the company’s hotels on Booking.com exceeds 9 points, which indicates high standards of service and marketing support.
Before opening, we generate demand through marketing. And in the first days after the launch, our hotels are fully booked,” Levkovich emphasized.
Tourism as a point of economic growth
According to the company’s representative, Ribas Hotels Group sees the development of Bukovel as a model of sustainable growth for the entire Ukrainian tourism industry.
The company invests in new hotel concepts, consulting, and design, forming a full cycle of hotel real estate development – from idea to management.
GPT has called Bukovel a symbol of economic potential, and we fully agree. Tourism today is not a luxury, but a driver of the country’s investment development,” Levkovich summarized.
Thus, Ribas Hotels Group currently sees the Carpathians as a laboratory for sustainable development. Bukovel is gradually turning into a point of capital attraction – a place where investments in infrastructure become investments in the country’s future.
Ribas Hotels Group is a full-service international management company with 10 years of experience, whose flagship service is hotel management. The portfolio includes 55 projects in management, design, and construction. 8 projects in Bali, 1 in Poland, 1 in Turkey, 1 in Moldova. More than 1000 rooms in the hotel stock. 570 employees on staff. The company provides hotel concept development, design, support at all stages of project implementation, and franchising services for developers. The company develops 3, 4, and 5* hotels, beach and ski resorts, city hotels, boutique hotels, and apart-hotels.
