Work is already starting on the interior of one of the country's biggest tourism projects

Construction has started on the interiors and exteriors of the prefabricated buildings of the country's largest rural tourism project, the 2-hectare BalaPort hotel and apartment complex in Balatonfüred. The unique project, which includes a 102-room hotel, 4 restaurants, 24 apartments, a 188-space underground car park and a coastal promenade, is progressing on schedule, and the construction of utilities and road networks within the site has now begun, according to a press conference on 12 September announcing the next phase of the project.

As we reported at the end of June reported at the end of June, the first rural luxury hotel of the Marriott International hotel chain, the Le Méridien BalaPort Lake Balaton Resort , will be built as part of the BalaPort project, an investment by BalaPort Investment Kft. . The contractor for the five-star hotel has not yet been selected, but the apartment buildings BalaPort Residence to the east and west of the main hotel building will be constructed by VEMÉV-SZER Kft.. The technical handover of the investment, worth a total of HUF 22.5 billion, is expected to begin at the end of 2024, with the opening scheduled for 2025, announced founder and owner Richárd Szepesi at the development's press tour.

As for the current progress of the project, we learned that the interior design of the apartment buildings has already been completed, and the partitioning and roof insulation are currently underway.

The tourist complex also includes the most modern 203 berth marina on Lake Balaton, which was completed last summer and is now operating with an outstanding occupancy rate, the information stressed.

The hotel will be themed around the French Riviera and the Italian "dolce vita"

Several nationally and internationally renowned firms are involved in the design and construction: the nautical exterior of the future Le Méridien BalaPort Lake Balaton hotel is designed by Fazakas Építésziroda, while the interior design, which evokes the French Riviera and the Italian "Dolce Vita" of the 1960s, is based on the designs of 81Font, an architectural and interior design firm. G.A. Design International Kft. acted as interior design consultant on the project, while Dudinszky Tervezőiroda Kft. was responsible for technical design and project management.

Richárd Szepesi expects high turnover all year round at the themed hotel, which aims to cater for both leisure and business travellers. The coastal promenade in front of the hotel evokes the atmosphere of European coastal ports. According to the tourism real estate investor, BalaPort is an excellent destination for investors as well as tourists, as it offers a good investment opportunity with the long-term security of the apartment and the marina space. As highlighted:

Both the panoramic apartments and the marinas are in high demand, and the developer says the strong demand is due to the uniqueness of the project, the premium quality of the properties being built and the experience and reputation of the development team.

In the fourth phase, specialist work is already underway on the apartment buildings

At the event, Richárd Szepesi, the creator of the BalaPort project and professional manager of the owned and co-owned businesses, said that one of the largest and most complex tourism developments in the country is currently underway in the central area of Tagore Promenade in Balatonfüred. He pointed out that his professional team's thematic tourism developments so far guarantee that BalaPort will be the most exclusive and unique project of Lake Balaton.

The BalaPort project is the third 5-star tourism investment by Richard Szepesi, following two well-known 4-star hotel investments. The structural completion of the buildings indicates that the schedule can be met, the development will be completed on time and the technical handover is expected to start at the end of 2024, the owner stressed.

He added that the initial step of the investment was the development of the port's water facilities, which created the most modern and largest marina on Lake Balaton ready to receive ships.

The first three phases of the onshore investment consisted of civil engineering works, underground structural works and full structural works above ground. In the fourth phase, specialist works on the apartment buildings are underway, and the hotel's finishing works will be put out to tender in September.

The owner and founder also reported that the complex will be built with a non-refundable Kisfaludy 2030 MTÜ grant of nearly HUF 6.9 billion, a HUF 3.5 billion loan and HUF 12.1 billion of self-financing, part of which will be generated by the long-term sale of apartments and boat places.