Its slender silhouette, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, soars high into the Belgrade sky, in a district undergoing major transformation at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. A symbol of the Serbian capital's ambitions as the business hub of the Balkans, the Kula Belgrade skyscraper The 42-storey building is dedicated to luxury hospitality for visitors, and includes the recently opened St. Regis Hotel.
The prestigious Marriott group brand arrives in the Serbian capital with its legendary butler service, its sense of sophisticated hospitality blending in its interiors contemporary urbanity to traditional Serbian inspirations and, of course, a bar where the Bloody Mary, a reference to New York's St. Regis, is reinterpreted in local style. This living space, with its exclusive space for dinners and wine tastings, joins a top-of-the-range brasserie and a patisserie among the hotel's range of restaurants. As for relaxation, there is a spa with an indoor swimming pool.
Within walking distance of the diplomatic and business districts and historic sites, the St. Regis Belgrade offers business travellers 119 rooms, including 17 suites, a vast 192 m² presidential suite and the hotel's signature Caroline Astor suite. But it also has everything it takes to become one of Belgrade's top meeting venues, with its 710 m² MICE space, including an Astor ballroom, extended by a terrace with a breathtaking view of the city, and several meeting rooms with names promising economic success, such as Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie or John Jacob Astor, in memory of the founder of the original hotel on 5th Avenue.
The St. Regis Belgrade is not the only new business hotel in the capitals of the former Yugoslavia. From the Accor group, the Pullman brand recently made its debut in Croatia in Zagreb in the City Island development. Located in the Buzin district, this new business location is growing up next to the headquarters of numerous companies. This business environment, close to the airport, explains the hotel's conference space for up to 150 people. Business travellers will also find 193 rooms and suites, a bar and restaurant, and a wellness area.
As one of the leading hotel companies in Central Europe, Accor is expecting another expansion in Croatia with the announced arrival of its new Handwritten Collection brand in Rijeka in 2026, with the integration of the Hotel Continental, a historic 75-room boutique hotel. But its expansion in the Balkans has already resulted in a first hotel in Sofia for its Mercure brandmarking its debut in Bulgaria. Located in the Manastirski Livadi district, close to the National History Museum and Vitosha National Park as well as ski slopes and hiking trails, the hotel has 111 rooms with views of the town or mountains. In addition to its bistro and restaurant featuring local specialities, business travellers will find a coworking space and five spacious meeting rooms.
The Hyatt group is also actively targeting the Balkans to support its growth in Europe. With a Hyatt Regency hotel in Sofia since 2020, the American group recently stepped up its development in Bulgaria with the opening of another Hyatt Regency in Pravets. Set between lake and mountains, this resort of 244 rooms and suites with an 18-hole golf course is also ideal for business tourism, with its conference centre able to accommodate up to 500 people. At the same time, its position in the country was also strengthened on the Black Sea coast thanks to its all-inclusive brands Secrets, Dreams and Alua.
This development will continue with the announcement of several new Hyatt Regency hotels, with this brand set to grow by 70 % in the region. After the Hyatt Regency Pravets and the Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay resort in Montenegro, this roll-out will extend to Croatia in 2025, with the Hyatt Regency Zadar, then to Albania with a hotel in Tirana in 2026 and the Hyatt Regency Palase Resort & Spa expected in 2027, and finally to Novi Sad in Serbia, also in 2027. This last year will also see the addition, on the edge of the Balkans, of a hotel in Brasov, Romania, the future Hyatt Regency Aro Palace being the result of the renovation of one of the Transylvanian city's flagship hotels, originally opened in 1939.
