According to exclusive information obtained by Lider, Marriott International will have as many as six new hotels under its brand on our coast in the next three years. This was confirmed by Marriott itself, emphasizing that it considers Croatia one of its most important markets in the region and that the local growth potential is ‘extremely large’.
– Croatia is a top vacation destination and an attractive and easily accessible location for holding meetings and conferences – the global tourism group stated in response to Lider’s inquiry.
Six hotels today, double tomorrow
Namely, Marriott Bonvoy currently has, as Lider reported last week, six hotels with over 1,500 rooms in Croatia, and this number could soon nearly double. Currently operating under this brand are Le Méridien Lav in Split, Sheraton Dubrovnik and Sheraton Zagreb, The Isolano (Autograph Collection) on Cres, The Westin Zagreb, and AC Hotel Split. New projects are also in the pipeline, and for some of them, investors want to open before the summer season of 2026.
The first, according to available information and Marriott’s confirmation, is expected to be Opatija Marriott Resort & Spa in Ičićima, which is planned to be completed before the 2026 season. This is the largest Croatian investment by Hungarian entrepreneur Lőrinca Mészárosa, estimated to be worth between 70 and 100 million euros. The domestic development company DDG Group is also involved in the project, and the hotel is expected to become the most ambitious new luxury resort on the Opatija Riviera.
– The resort will be located on the picturesque Opatija Riviera and will offer a blend of modern comfort, wellness facilities, and the timeless charm of a city known for its rich heritage and beauty – said the Marriott group.
Split is getting a boutique hotel
The second confirmed new Marriott project comes from Split. The Split West Gate Group, owned by Split entrepreneur Josip Komar, who already has the AC by Marriott in the West Gate Group skyscraper, recently announced a boutique hotel under the Marriott brand in Bačvicama, also planned to open in 2026. In addition, the same group is developing another exclusive, high-luxury Marriott resort on the Adriatic. Unofficially, the location is – again Split – but details are still secret, so it can only be assumed that one of these projects is the Marriott mentioned in the brand’s response.
It is already known that Marriott is coming to Rijeka, where Jadran hoteli Rijeka is developing the first Tribute Portfolio as well as AC by Marriott in that city. The contract with Marriott was signed last year, and it represents one of the most significant breakthroughs for Rijeka’s hospitality in the last decade, said Lider Kristian Šuštar, CEO of Jadran hoteli Rijeka.
It seems that the previously announced Autograph Collection hotel in Komiža on Vis, which is being developed by 3LHD at the site of the Biševo hotel, is formally part of Marriott’s plans, as this project is also mentioned in the response from the international tourism group.
In other words, the Opatija project, two projects in Split, two in Rijeka, and one on Vis is quite good for a small market that suffers from seasonality.
Room for improvement
– The share of global hotel chains in Croatia, although increasing in recent years, is still significantly lower than in competing Mediterranean countries. This shows that there is significant room for further development. The interest of international operators to enter the Croatian market remains strong, but they are looking for quality, market-sustainable, and clearly positioned projects. There are still not enough such products, which means that future growth requires more serious investments, a long-term approach, and professionalization of management – said Vedrana Likan, managing partner for Colliers – Croatia, Slovenia, and BiH.
Maja Čižmar, director at 505 consulting, a boutique consulting company specializing in hospitality and tourism, agrees with Likan, stating that Croatia is an attractive tourist destination and is well positioned in the Mediterranean competitive circle. Practically all global and regional hotel corporations would be interested in entering our market, but she believes there are certain obstacles to this.
– On one hand, there is extremely high seasonality of business, as two-thirds of total annual hotel overnight stays in Croatia occur from June to September. On the other hand, there is a lack of quality hotel projects suitable for branding. Partly, this is related to the fact that the hotel market in Croatia is highly consolidated, meaning that about ten of the largest hotel companies dominate the market – she says.
