WINTER FUN ON STARA PLANINA

TOURISM

All mountain lovers say we are one of the most beautiful mountains, and we claim we are the most beautiful, says Goran Karadžić, acting director of JP Stara Planina, who promises a fantastic winter atmosphere to all who visit the Hotel Stara Planina

Text by: ANA KRALJ Photo: JP STARA PLANINA

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otel Stara Planina, which has gained best marks for its high standards and excellent service on sites such as Booking and Tripadvisor, is ready to give a memorable experience for its guests this winter season. Goran Karadžić, acting director ofJ JP Stara Planina, told us what you can enjoy if you decide to rest right here.

Stara Planina has grown in popularity as a vacation resort in recent years. What preparations did Hotel Stara Planina make for the upcoming winter season?

— Hotel Stara Planina is a true mountain spa center that operates 365 days a year, which means we are always ready to serve our guests with a first-class atmosphere and relaxation. The hotel’s occupancy is satisfactory throughout the year, with demand for additional rooms increasing in the winter because we are on a mountain with plenty of snow, and the service is more than competitive, particularly for family vacations. For children aged four to ten, we have provided equipment and a free ski school for a stay of seven nights. So the whole family can enjoy the snow and other hotel services.

The hotel is rated four stars, but you believe it’s worth five stars, as indicated by the evaluations on Booking and Tripadvisor. What does the hotel have to offer to its guests that makes it so appealing?

— To begin with, all hotel guests have a parking space in our hotel’s underground garage, which is critical in mountain conditions because our visitors come to rest, not to worry about where their cars are, whether they will have to clear snow from them, or what they will discover below. Our all-inclusive light service, which includes

a rich breakfast, lunch, and variety dinner, as well as drinks with meals, is very popular with our customers. The service also includes access to the spa and fitness center, as well as a children’s swimming school. The playroom is open to toddlers aged three to twelve, who will be amused by our animators. We also provide a teen club, gaming, billiards, table tennis, and a variety of other activities. We made sure that our visitors felt unique and that they were able to relax and enjoy themselves completely.

The hotel’s position is unique because the surrounding area is uninhabited, allowing guests to enjoy pure nature as well as snow and good skiing in the winter. What would the winter activities be like during these months?

— All mountain lovers say that we are one of the most beautiful mountains, we say that we are the most beautiful. Our friends from the Ski Resorts of Serbia took care of the ski slopes, so we are sure that we are not falling behind the world’s largest ski centers. The first gondola set up in Serbia is approximately 20 meters away from the hotel, and the artificial snow cannons are already in operation. So it’s evident that our skiers and other snow sports enthusiasts have plenty to look forward to, and that this ski season will be spectacular. Nothing is left to chance here; everything is tailored to our guests’ comfort and relaxation.

In addition to the Hotel Stara Planina, the SP Resort’s Babin Zub hotel and the mountain lodge Midžor are both nearby. Can the guests who are staying there use the Stara Planina Hotel’s services?

— Guests staying at these two facilities get special discounts on services at the Hotel Stara Planina. We also had to look after the Stara Planina Hotel’s guests, who, of course, come first.

What is the potential of Stara planina for building new hotel capacity? Would you welcome competition?

— Stara planina’s potential is excellent in every way. We are the ideal location for sports preparations, so the construction of a sports hall is planned. The hotel is located at 1,500 m above sea level and is hit by two sea wind waves (from the Black and Aegean). The air is as if we were at 1,000 m. That is why nature is so lovely, because there are deciduous trees as well as conifers at that altitude. A public-private partnership with potential investors is also planned, so there will be no real competition because we are all working in the interest of Stara planina. There are some indications that we may become the Winter Olympic Center, but let’s not reveal everything.

PROMO

A FANTASTIC START TO THE SKI SEASON

If the morning shows the day, we may look forward to a great skiing season in the Serbian mountains, announces Dejan Ćika, director of the Ski Resorts of Serbia

Photo: SKI RESORTS OF SERBIA

Dejan Ćika, director of Ski Resorts of Serbia T

his winter, skiing started on Kopaonik, then on Stara Planina, and finally on Tornik at the end of December. We spoke with Dejan Ćika, the director of Ski Resorts of Serbia, about what we may expect in these mountains till the season ends.

The ski season in Serbia has started. What are your impressions?

— We are really satisfied, especially because this is the first time in ten years that Kopaonik has operated with such a huge number of ski trails, up to 25. Thanks to the excellent organization of Ski Resorts of Serbia, as well as snowmaking and natural snow, we had a great start to the season.

Last year there was less snow at this time, but now the situation is better. On what occasions do you use a snowmaking system?

— The snowmaking system is one of the most important elements for the functioning of the ski center. We have learned that we cannot afford the luxury of relying on natural snowfall, so we’ve equipped every single one of our ski resorts. Since the mixture of natural and artificial snow is the best basis for the longest and finest quality skiing, we use every opportunity and minus temperature to produce snow. So we are starting this year’s ski season with the best possible surface, which will surely last until May.

The Brzeće-Mali Karaman gondola was ceremoniously launched in February. What did the Kopaonik ski resort gain by installing it?

— The Brzeće-Mali Karaman gondola is a significant investment that skiers have long awaited. The gondola not only helped to modernize the Kopaonik ski center, but it also provided a chance for further investment and development of this mountain center. In addition to being very convenient for transporting skiers, it also allows guests to go to the center of the ski resort in a faster and easier way, thus solving the problem of overcrowded vehicles on the mountain.

What preventive epidemiological measures are being implemented in ski centers?

— All measures required by the Crisis Staff and the Government of the Republic of Ser-

bia are strictly followed by Serbian ski resorts. We are obliged to wear masks and bandanas, to keep a prescribed distance and to use ski installations, as the COVID warden from the Ski resorts of Serbia will say. We are taking all the measures necessary to ensure the safety of both tourists and employees, and we hope that skiers will understand and follow all the rules. The Ski resorts of Serbia and the Torlak Institute have signed an agreement that enables PCR and antigen testing for the needs of tourists in Kopaonik. Also, if any of the visitors expresses a wish, they will be able to get vaccinated on the premises of the Trauma Center on the mountain.

Given the pandemic and travel ban, how were the previous two winter seasons?

— Regardless of the circumstances in which we live, we see an increase in the number of skiers and tourists visiting our ski resorts from year to year. Despite the fact that we were fully closed last year, we had a record-breaking and extremely successful year. We expect the same result this time, and we are fully prepared for all of the challenges that await us this ski season.

What awaits us in the mountains this winter? — Numerous races, both humanitarian and significant to skiing, such as the organization of the European Cup, are planned. We’ll also be celebrating World Snow Day, and we’ll

THE HELIPORT WAS COMPLETED AS PART OF THE GARAGE KOPAONIK PROJECT, AND IT IS A CRUCIAL INVESTMENT IN THE SKI CENTER’S SECURITY

be performing a helicopter evacuation drill with representatives of the Mountain Rescue Service and the Ministry of the Interior. The heliport was completed as part of the Garage Kopaonik project, and it is a crucial investment in the ski center’s security. The heliport and the usage of helicopters are extremely important in the case of serious injuries on the ski slope and the transport of the injured to the nearest clinical center. We are organizing the third annual Moresce Summit of mountain centers at the end of March, where we will bring together all manufacturers of cable cars, artificial snow systems, and special machinery, as well as professionals who operate ski centers across Europe. The exchange of knowledge and experience is very important for the further improvement and development of mountain centers, and we expect a large turnout for this event.

PROMO

REMOTE CONTROL OF HOME APPLIANCES

Advanced technologies make our daily lives easier, which is what Smart Steel’s Smart Home System does, allowing you to control all devices in your home or business space from your mobile phone

Photo: SMART STEEL

Ivan Marković, director of Smart Steel

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mart Steel Innovation is a new company that specializes in the automation of residential and commercial buildings, but it has a lot of engineering experience and a lot of satisfied customers behind it. Ivan Marković, the company’s founder and director, explains how you can control your space – from boilers, cameras, and lighting to curtains, blinds, and heating – from anywhere on the planet thanks to an internet connection.

Smart Steel was founded in 2019 as a result of many years of experience in the fields of industrial power, automation, and process equipment. How did you come up with the idea of integrating all this?

— Like all innovative ideas, my idea to start a Smart Steel company was born by chance, out of a sincere desire to make my life and the lives of my loved ones more comfortable, modern, and easier. In search of ways to make everyday life easier, I became acquainted with smart home systems and spent several years testing devices that would be most appropriate for our market in terms of quality and efficiency. The result is cooperation with Lifesmart, which is the market leader in smart home systems. From personal experience, I know that the automation of residential and commercial space saves time, money, and energy, allowing us to dedicate ourselves to important things in life. The positive impressions and feedback of a large number of our customers motivated us to continuously improve our system.

The SMART sector deals with the automation of business and residential buildings according to the latest world standards. What does this offer cover?

— The offer includes innovative solutions in various spheres of residential or commercial buildings, such as control of ignition and extinguishing of heating and cooling over the phone, timers for switching on and off, saving money and energy by more than 20%. Also, you can turn on and off the lights in your building, control the blinds, and control all TV and audio devices via your mobile phone or voice command. There is also an object control with a silent alarm that warns you of movement in your object when you are not present, and you can monitor it all from any location on the planet.

The STEEL sector deals with engineering, automation, supply, production, and installation of complete equipment for the food and beverage industry. What makes this part of your portfolio and who are your clients?

— In cooperation with the world’s largest names in the production of process equipment for food and beverage processing, such as FEMIA Industrie and Bigtem Makine, we offer complete process lines for fruit and vegetable processing as well as individual machines. Our most frequent clients are from the domestic and foreign food industry, starting from small and medium-sized agricultural farms to large companies such as Friglo, Frikom, PIK Bečej, and others.

What are your further plans?

— Currently, in cooperation with our partner, the company Lifesmart, we are working on an application that will be in the Serbian language in order to further facilitate users’ access to smart systems. Also in 2022, we are introducing a great offer for hotels and large business facilities that will provide the opportunity to make the application user-friendly, with the logo and design of the application according to the client’s wishes, with a software solution tailored to their needs.