Lek Hotel in Kranjska Gora bought by the Dutch

Novartis has sold Lek Hotel

Lek Hotel, which has been part of tourist offer in Kranjska Gora for 42 years, has 72 rooms and 144 beds. Foto: Hotel Lek

Lek Hotel from Kranjska Gora has a new owner. Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceutical company that owns Lek, has sold it to Comfort Hotel Management, a company from the Netherlands. The new owner has pledged to invest into the hotel and keep all employees. Purchase price has not been revealed.

The starting price for the Lek Hotel (the real estate and the company, but not the brand) had been set at one million euros. Potential buyers we told to hand in non-binding offers by 3 June last year.

Novartis’ representative for operations in Slovenia Robert Ljoljo has explained that the company sought a buyer with a plan as well as a strategy for the future that would include responsibility towards its employees. Comfort Hotel Management, which specializes in managing hotels and resorts in several European countries but had not invested in Slovenia before, proved to be the most qualified bidder.

According to Ljoljo, the company has the reputation of a reliable and independent manager and cooperates with renowned hotel brands. “We’ve chosen someone who can manage a hotel-related line of business, who has a highly educated team of experts and who could assure us that the hotel’s operation would continue in the greatest possible scope,” emphasized Ljoljo, adding he was glad the hotel had been sold to a company whose prime activity is hotel management.

Novartis has not revealed the purchase price but is satisfied with the bargain. Bidders had comprised both Slovenian and foreign companies from the fields of hotel management as well as other tourism-oriented fields; a dozen serious bids were received.

The director of Lek Hotel, Lidija Dokl, has noted that last year’s results were promising, since the hotel reached the yearly operating profit goal of EUR 1.4m in November. On average, room prices have risen by 13 per cent while preventing the costs from increasing, which resulted in doubling the profit from 2015 to 125,000 euros in 2016 year-on-year.

What’s also positive is feedback from guests, who – as Dokl pointed out – are satisfied with their services, which is the merit of the employees. “No hotel can function without good employees. We are particularly well-known for employees’ commitment to the hotel and the guests,” she added.

The contract of sale was signed on Wednesday, giving the Dutch buyer 40 days to complete the purchase.

D. S., MMC; translated by K. Z.