TIRANA TO BE THE BEST VENUE IN THE TOWN

By Rudina HOXHA & Jose PINTO

Takuya Aoyama, Vice President for Development at Hyatt International for Central & Eastern Europe, former USSR and the Balkans, gave an exclusive interview to TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE admitting that the construction works are taking more than expected and the reason is that the hotel aims high, so more planning and redesigning are added.

“I think the vision is to make Hyatt Regency Tirana the main destination in the town and the best conference venue. So, that means of lot of redesigning and planning. That’s why it is taking longer. I believe the hotel will have around 300 keys and multiple F&B,” Aoyama said. follow with Hyatt Regency Tirana about 18 months later. This year, he is expected to sign the contract for a resort in the south of Albania which stands out for its friendliness to the nature and the population, for its low density and particular topography among spectacular rocks.

Talking about hotels built outside the Albanian capital, Aoyama thinks “the hotels outside Tirana must be small if you want to talk about not disrupting the nature or being authentic.”

Full interview below:

Let’s start this interview by talking about Hyatt Hotel in Albania which keeps you coming back and forth in our country. At what stage are the construction works? And what can be called news at this stage? As you know, it is taking longer than everybody expected (laughing). There is a reason. It started as a refurbishment of the existing hotel but then it ended up being expanded. So, the owner is adding floors and a lot of facilities. I think the vision is to make it the main destination in the town and the best venue for conferences and social events. So, that means of lot of redesigning and planning. That’s why it is taking longer. I believe the hotel will have around 300 keys and multiple F&B. Probably it is the only hotel which cannot be missed in the town except Rogner Hotel Tirana obviously.

The hotel will likely take another 18 months or so to open but I really want it open ahead of InterContinental (Laughing).

What will be the advantageous aspects of this Hotel in comparison with all these competitors around you? Can you list some?

It controls its own territory and is located next to the beautiful park. Other hotels really don’t.

If you have a social event, we have it all for you, the parking behind, the garden; it is a perfect wedding venue, conference venue. With 300 keys, it is the right venue. If the Albanian tourism will continue to grow at the pace of the past few years, then we will be very well positioned to take advantage of the further demand.

Aoyama, a father of two, an experienced negotiator in the field of hospitality, a hotel developer with Hyatt since 2008, is successfully growing Hyatt presence in the Balkans. Soon the Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort in Montenegro will open its doors to Hyatt Regency Sofia, Bulgaria

How are the architect, the interior designer and the owners working for this hotel which, given the renderings, looks astonishing?

There are pluses and minuses. I think the stakeholders correctly decided that the hotel, at least the façade, has to connect to the stadium. But trying to have one architectural theme across those several properties requires a lot of combinations. I think this needs extra work for the architect and the interior designer.

How sustainable do you consider your property?

I don’t feel guilty when it comes to brown field projects. If it is an existing hotel, we are using the existing footprint and utilizing the space we have. And it is an urban hotel. When we really have to think about sustainability is when we, Marriott, or Melia or whoever want to go outside of the capital city and do something in the coastal zone or mountainous area. That’s the moment when we have to think hard and work very closely with the public sector. We and the developers and investors, are run by financial motives. Usually, we say that we are creating employment and tax revenues. But that’s not enough. Because we are intrusive by nature. Once we have a hotel in a place, which used to be a fishing village, we displace people, we change people’s lives for good or bad. And we have not given enough thought about that. If someone is going to build a resort in Albania, we should not be doing big hotels. How would you feed if you have 500 keys, let’s say. Can you produce local food and can you feed them with local produce? NO! They serve yogurt imported from France for breakfast, or, by the way, why are we question, to a certain extent, it will change. It will streamline a few things and makes things convenient which is good. But the core of hospitality are the people. Technological novelties like ChatGPT cannot replace the things we do day in and day out, I think. drinking Aqua Panna here now? You don’t have water here in Albania? Think about it..

All over the world, Hyatt is introducing splashing properties. What is the success of this brand in your view? The one that makes a difference.

How far will technology transform the customer experience in your property? We know that technology makes things convenient. That goes not only to the guests but to the associates. But people deal with people in this industry and technology cannot care for you. It can make your life slightly easier, that’s all. To answer your

Hyatt growth has accelerated but still we are small. When I joined the company 15 years ago, we numbered 480 hotels but now Hyatt has more than 1250 hotels including all-inclusive properties in about 70 countries across six continents. But it took 15 years for that to happen. We have been able to maintain the focus on our strength which is upscale to luxury segments. If I say that Hyatt has 35 million loyalty members, they are Hyatt guests, they are upscale and luxury guests. We will continue to maintain that position, and we continue to grow with intent, in a disciplined way.

With 5 hotels in pipeline in Bulgaria, one in Montenegro (Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort) and another one in Serbia (Hyatt Regency Novi Sad), two in Albania (one in Tirana and another one in the South of Albania), and another one in Zadar, Croatia, I think we are creating an interesting portfolio in the Balkans.