Hotel Vila Planinka – A Prototype of Boutique Tourism
On Thursday, 14 February, the completely refurbished boutique hotel Vila Planinka came to life in the middle of Jezersko's unspoiled nature. Vila Planinka is Slovenia's first high-end hotel that, in its entirety, follows the tourism strategy of Slovenia as a ‘green boutique global destination for high-end visitors seeking diverse and active experiences, peace, and personal benefits’.
At the hotel's grand opening, Marjan Batagelj, General Manager of the company Postojnska jama d.d. pointed out, "We hope that one day Vila Planinka won't be known as a technological achievement, but rather for the fact that it changed people's mindset and their well-being. While any hotel can have golden doorknobs and bathroom taps, a homely feeling and pristine nature is something that cannot be bought or installed."
That is why, in 2016, we adopted a well-thought-out approach to the renovation of the existing hotel. A strategy of Slovenian tourism focused on boutique, five-star, luxury services was being developed at the time, however, not a single person was able to explain what this actually meant. For this reason, we followed our own values and created Vila Planinka, which follows the principles of sensibility, sustainability and connection to the local environment. Today, Jezersko thus boasts the first boutique hotel built from the natural materials native to the area; a zero-waste hotel that consistently monitors the use of chemicals and pesticides; a hotel committed to environmental protection and energy efficiency; a hotel supplied with food by local organic farms.
"With Vila Planinka, we show deep respect for all the local people who have been taking care of Jezersko for centuries and didn't give in to the insanityof urbanisation, but managed to understand sustainability the way it supposed to be understood, as nature conservation," added Batagelj.
At Vila Planinka, you will therefore find no electronic devices that could interfere with the nature's soothing energies. We swear by convection heating through radiators and cooling with the pleasantly fresh air provided through open windows by the glacier Skuta, as well as the mountains Grintovec and Kočna.
"Jezersko is a part of Slovenia where people still live their lives in their own way. Here, time goes by at a different pace. This is a place with a special energy that allows us to take a step back. The local people can teach the Slovenian tourism what the new luxury is," Batagelj believes. Director General of the Slovenian Tourist Board, Maja Pak, agrees with this. "I am extremely happy about today's opening of Vila Planinka. We are realizing the vision of Slovenia as a green, boutique destination for five-star experiences," she said in her message.
Vila Planinka is a project that is coming to its final stage two years after it was started by the company Postojnska jama d. d. "All of us atVila Planinka devote a lot of attention to even the smallest details and to every single guest, which means that the project will never really be completed," said Marjan Batagelj, but added that the current investment value is estimated at 3.5 million euros.
Mr Batagelj is convinced guests will be coming to Vila Planinka from all over the world, as well as from other parts of Slovenia. "We should not underestimate domestic guests. Up until now, we travelled abroad as the kinds of services we wanted were not available at home. But I am sure that from now on things will be different, since many Slovenians have yet to discover the charms of Jezersko." The very first guests are coming to Vila Planinka in the second half of February. An overnight stay will set them back €200-400, and during the high season up to €600.