A new hotel and modern residential quarter will emerge in central Vilnius

A ceremony of laying down a symbolic capsule underground was held today to mark the beginning of construction works of a new complex of buildings in Vilnius. In a previously neglected area at the intersection of Rinktinės and Šeimyniškių streets, a new ibis hotel, modern residential apartment houses and offices will emerge soon.

The developer of the project, a private limited company UAB Merko statyba, owned by Merko Ehitus Group, invited city leaders, representatives of foreign embassies to the construction site, where the foundations of the new buildings are being poured. Soon, the ibis hotel together with modern residential apartment buildings and offices will be built there under the project Rinktinės Urban, developed by UAB Merko statyba.

The start of the construction works for the complex is an important event for Vilnius city because the neglected plot in this location had been harming the image not only of the area but also of Vilnius itself. Just a kilometre away, one can see modern skyscrapers, and on the opposite side, the most important architectural monuments of the city, including Gediminas’ Castle, while this location was seen as a remote and shabby village by local residents and city guests. Now, this area is set to become a cosy quarter with a hotel and residential apartment buildings.

“Smart and open Vilnius city is being renovated and growing. Million-worth investments are coming to the right shore of the Neris River: in the territory between the Energy and Technology Museum and the former Palace of Concerts and Sports, at least three global hotel networks have intentions to settle down. In a couple of years, this territory will transform into a site that will be particularly attractive to tourists and local residents. I am glad to see such an activity of the investors and setting a goal for myself and my team in the local government to do everything possible that the settlers could feel maximum comfort and wellbeing here,” said Remigijus Šimašius, the mayor of Vilnius, delivering a speech at the ceremony of laying down a symbolic capsule underground.

“Taking into account the development plans of the city, we are proud to enrich the local market with this modern and perfectly located ibis hotel – the economy flagship brand of AccorHotels.  As Orbis’ strategy is based on sustainable development, ibis Vilnius will be the very first hotel in Lithuania with the green BREEAM certificate combining contemporary design, efficiency, comfort, and guest well-being. This investment underlines Orbis’ acceleration as regarding our development plans for AccorHotels’ branded hotels in the Baltic States in the near future,” adds Gilles Clavie, President of the Management Board & CEO of Orbis S.A.

The ibis hotel, to be built in the new complex, will comply with green BREEAM standards for sustainable construction design. The hotel will offer 164 rooms, a restaurant, a bar, and conference halls. It will be the first investment of Orbis Hotel Group, a partner of AccorHotels, into an economy class hotel in Lithuania.  Investments in the hotel will amount to 11 million Euros.

“We are happy to lay down the foundations for the new complex of buildings, which will noticeably change the face of central Vilnius. In recent years, Merko Group has accumulated a lot of expertise in both real estate development and construction projects in the city center, so we have no doubts that this complex will integrate harmoniously into the overall picture of the capital as a modern and growing city,” said Saulius Putrimas, CEO of UAB Merko statyba. “We are one of the few international construction companies operating in Lithuania and we can follow high standards of construction due to our workers’ experience and the latest technologies we apply. We hope the people who live in the houses we’ve built, also our partners, have complete confidence in us. And we are happy to work together with our partners Orbis Hotel Group.”

In the residential apartment houses nearby, there will be 110 apartments during the first stage, the ground floor premises will be offered to various businesses and service suppliers.

“In this quite noisy and dynamic area of Vilnius, its future residents will have a quiet and isolated yard with decorative green zones, the playground for children, small architecture, decorative lighting,” said Tadas Balčiūnas and Dainius Čepurna, the architects and authors of the project. They said the most important task for him was to create a project that could effectively help to transform the neglected plot in central Vilnius into a city space with an aesthetic value and suitable for active city life, and also to design modern and comfortable homes, satisfying nowadays needs of their residents.

Construction works should be over in autumn 2018.

About Merko: In Lithuania, private limited company UAB Merko statyba represent Merko Group. The company are owned by holding company AS Merko Ehitus, the leading construction company in the Baltic States. Merko is the largest listed construction company in the Baltic countries. Since 1997, shares of AS Merko Ehitus have been listed on Nasdaq OMX Baltic. The revenue of the group in 2016 was 252 million euros. Over 20 years of operation in Lithuania, Merko has performed significant real estate development projects including the shopping centers Panorama, Saulės miestas, Mandarinas, the hotels Radisson Blu Hotel Lietuva, Novotel, the administrative buildings Narbuto 5, L3, Baltic Data center, Northway center, Vilnius Balsiai School and the American International School of Vilnius, the NORDBALT current converter station in Klaipėda and other buildings.

About Orbis Hotel Group: Orbis Hotel Group is the largest network of hotels in Eastern Europe. Orbis comprises almost 120 hotels and is the sole licensor of all AccorHotels brands in 16 countries. The hotels operate under the brand names Sofitel, Pullman, M Gallery, Novotel, Mercure, ibis, ibis Styles and ibis budget. They provide a quality of service to various standards, ranging from luxury 5-star to budget 1-star hotels. Orbis S.A. shares are listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange Orbis’ strategic investor is AccorHotels, a world-leading travel and lifestyle group and also a digital innovator.