WorldSkills General Assembly 2025: Bold candidacy and flawless project realisation in Dubrovnik
Damir Lukić is an experienced Croatian hotel manager with more than two decades of experience in the luxury and congress hotel industry. During his career, he has managed some of the most famous hotels on the Adriatic, including Dubrovnik Palace, Hotel Bellevue and Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera Hotel, and has also gained experience at the level of hotel portfolio management within the TUI group. Today, he is at the helm of AC Hotel by Marriott Split, the first AC Hotels by Marriott brand hotel in Croatia, which operates within the domestic Westgate group - an investor that has been strongly expanding its hotel portfolio in Split in recent years.
After successfully positioning AC Hotel on the business events market, the group will soon open the boutique hotel Venturo from the Design Hotels collection in Bačvice, while a new luxury project with large congress capacities is also in preparation.
We spoke with Damir Lukić about the development of the MICE offer in Split, the role of international hotel brands and plans that could further strengthen the city's position as a year-round business destination.
You have more than two decades of work in responsible positions in the hotel industry, from operational functions to managing complex hotel systems. How has your experience of managing a hotel portfolio within the TUI group and managing large resorts prepared you for positioning AC Hotels in the MICE market?
I have been working in the hotel industry since 2000 and have spent most of my professional journey in highly categorized hotels, from smaller luxury properties to large congress and resort hotels. During my career, I have had the opportunity to work for both domestic hotel chains and large international brands, and each of these experiences has brought a different perspective on hotel management and hotel product development. These are different business and organizational philosophies.
Domestic brands generally prefer a centralized management and organizational structure that is strongly based on corporate functions. On the other hand, international brands often advocate the model of strong and autonomous general managers in the hotels themselves who, together with their teams, work daily to position the brand and the facility on the market. It was the experiences of working for international systems such as Starwood and Marriott that gave me a strong operational and sales basis for today's work and for positioning AC Hotel by Marriott Split on the MICE market.
I was the first general manager of the Dubrovnik Sheraton, which at the time of its opening had the largest congress facilities in the Republic of Croatia. Such experience opens up a very clear perspective on how to develop the congress product and how to position it on the international market in the long term. In addition, the sales tools and global systems that exist within Marriott's portfolio open market opportunities that would be very difficult to reach if the hotel were not part of such a strong international network.
The greatest strength lies in the experienced MICE team
You managed pre-opening and operational processes in hotels that later won prestigious international awards. What key lessons from these projects have you applied to Split, especially when it comes to the business events segment?
In a destination like Split, the business events segment represents one of the key market pillars for a large number of hotels. That is why it is essential to ensure a high level of consistency in service provision, from the organizer's first inquiry to the final realization of the event itself.
Our greatest strength is our team. The hotel is staffed by people who have extensive experience in large MICE hotels in the Split area and the wider region. This team has successfully organized numerous conferences and business events, and their expertise and organizational capacities were perhaps best demonstrated during the hotel's grand opening. On that occasion, an event was organized for 700 guests spread over four different floors of the hotel, including the roof as the highest point of the facility. It was a logistically and organizationally very complex event that is still talked about today.
During my career, I have participated in the organization of a large number of business events, from political summits at the level of heads of state and government, ministerial conferences, numerous conferences from the IT industry and pharmaceuticals, to the presentation of new car models, film events with Hollywood stars and other large international events. Each of these experiences has brought a new level of knowledge and operational understanding of the organization of complex events.
When you host more than a thousand different large meetings and events in the hotels you manage during your career, you gain experience that is almost impossible to transfer through theory. It is precisely this kind of experience that helps in everyday work and in making quick and high-quality operational decisions today.
Event organizers must feel that they have a reliable partner on our side who understands their needs and who can react quickly and flexibly. The MICE industry is extremely dynamic and changes are frequent. As a team, we must be ready to respond to all the organizers' requests, including those that appear at the last minute, and provide them with a high level of service without stress and unpleasant surprises. Hotels that do not understand the dynamics and specificities of the MICE segment can hardly be successful in the long term.
AC Hotel by Marriott Split is the winner of the Annual Croatian Tourism Award in the Business Tourism category. What, in your opinion, decided the winning of this award and that the hotel became a reference address for business events in Dalmatia in just two years?
Today, our hotel is the first choice for many corporate guests coming to Split. We are recognized as a reliable partner that provides a high level of service, as confirmed by guest reviews on various booking channels.
Since its opening, we have been the official hotel of the ULTRA Europe Music Festival, and last summer we signed a new three-year contract that further confirms the stability and quality of this cooperation. We have hosted numerous international conferences, as well as sports teams, among which we highlight the Portuguese and French football teams. All this shows that we are capable of providing high-quality logistical and organizational support to even the most demanding world-class events.
Our location on the main Split road, which allows for quick entry and exit from the city and very easy access to key sports infrastructure in Split, certainly represents an added value. One of our greatest advantages is our team, which is made up of more than 90 percent people from Split and the surrounding municipalities. They represent their city and their destination in the best possible way, which is extremely important for guests coming from abroad.
The hotel was also named the best in Europe according to Marriott's Intent to Recommend parameter within the AC by Marriott brand. Does such a result affect the perception of the hotel among international corporate clients and conference organizers, and to what extent?
For six months in a row last year, we held the first place among 90 AC by Marriott hotels in Europe according to the ITR parameter. We currently hold the first place as well.
On booking channels, we have ratings of 9.3 and 9.4 out of a possible 10, which clearly speaks to the level of satisfaction of our guests and the quality of the service we provide. Although we have only just entered our third full year of business, the projects we have implemented so far and the references we have acquired are a very clear signal to the market. Of course, the fact that we operate within the Marriott portfolio also affects the perception of international corporate clients and event organizers.
How would you describe the hotel's MICE offering and what types of events do you most often host, and what are your target market niches in that segment?
The hotel's MICE offer is characterized by the flexibility of space, professional infrastructure and the ability to adapt to different formats of business events.
We most often host business meetings, conferences, seminars, training courses, workshops, corporate presentations, and incentive and team building programs. The conference rooms are equipped with modern audiovisual equipment and can be modularly adapted to different event formats, from smaller management meetings to larger international conferences.
In addition to classic business meetings, the hotel is also suitable for corporate celebrations, gala dinners, business receptions, and incentive programs for employees or business partners.
Our primary target market niches in the MICE segment are primarily domestic and international companies that organize business meetings and conferences, associations and congress organizers, agencies specializing in event organization, and corporate clients looking for a space for education, seminars, and presentations.
The special value of our offer is made up of a personalized approach to event organization, a quality gastronomic offer, professional technical support, and the ability to combine a business program with additional content in the destination. In this way, we provide guests with a complete experience of organizing events in one place.
In the congress hotels I managed, I had one rule, and that was that only I could tell the organizer that something could not be done.
Today, from your perspective, what is crucial for event organizers when choosing a hotel - flexibility of space, technological equipment, brand, speed of decision-making or something else, and what is your comparative advantage that you would highlight?
I would say that all the mentioned elements play an important role in making a decision. The flexibility of the space and capacities are the first element that the organizers consider. However, an important factor is the reputation of the facility itself and the people who cover this segment, from the person in sales who arranges the event to the operational team in charge of implementation.
Flexibility is also key. In the congress hotels I managed, I had one rule, and that was that only I could tell the organizer that something could not be done. As a rule, this happened very rarely, that is, only in situations where I would assess that due to the specificity of the request, the quality delivery of the service would be questionable.
Our main advantage is the amount of experience we have in our team. The key personnel who cover the MICE segment, whether in the contracting or implementation phase, have rich experience and we are able to respond very quickly to all the requests of the organizers.
Split has been strongly profiled as a city break and leisure destination in recent years. What, in your opinion, are the biggest challenges and opportunities in the further development of Split as a congress and incentive destination?
Split is certainly one of our destinations with the greatest room for development and growth in the segment of high-quality hotel accommodation, and the new projects that are in preparation clearly confirm this.
It is precisely in the MICE segment that Split has great potential, thanks to the destination's rich cultural and historical heritage, relatively good air connections, attractive surroundings with islands and hinterland, and proximity to national parks.
What Split lacks, especially when we talk about year-round tourism, is a large multi-purpose hall.
It seems that the new city government has recognized the potential of the Spaladium Arena and is finally moving in the direction of putting that space back into function. Such a hall, in addition to relieving the city's existing sports infrastructure, would certainly contribute to the organization of numerous events such as concerts, fairs and other events, and make Split more attractive to visitors even outside the main season months.
AC Hotel by Marriott Split was the first AC Hotels by Marriott brand in Croatia, and the Westgate Group also received an official license from Marriott International to manage hotels in the premium lifestyle and select service segments. How important is this license in the context of the trust of international investors and organizers of large events, and how much does the global loyalty network contribute to the occupancy and stability of the MICE segment?
Obtaining a license from Marriott International is a very clear message and the best confirmation of the management and organizational capacities of the Westgate Group. The license did not come by itself. It is the result of all the good things we have done with AC Hotel by Marriott Split, but also an intensive year-long licensing and education process for responsible persons within the group.
It is important to emphasize that the Westgate Group is backed by exclusively domestic knowledge and experience, which has been recognized by Marriott.
Marriott has the largest global loyalty program, Bonvoy, which has almost 250 million members worldwide. This program also provides special benefits for event organizers, which makes Marriott hotels attractive and desirable places to organize events. In addition, the strength of the brand itself gives organizers additional security because they know exactly what level of standards and service they can expect in a hotel operating within the Marriott portfolio.
Westgate Group Investments - Luxury Resort with the Largest Conference Capacity in Split
The opening of the Boutique Hotel Venturo as part of the Design Hotels collection and the development of a third luxury project are announced soon. Can you tell us more about these projects and their impact on Split's offer as a year-round business destination?
We are opening the Boutique Hotel Venturo in Split's Bačvice soon. It is the only hotel in Croatia that will operate within the global Design Hotels collection, which operates in the Marriott International portfolio.
Design Hotels represents a collection and global network of designer hotels known for their strong identity, architecture inspired by local culture and individual approach to guests. Venturo is the company's second project developed in partnership with Marriott International.
The hotel is scheduled to open by the end of April, and thanks to the global distribution network and Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, reservations for the upcoming season are already coming from international markets.
Boutique Hotel Venturo will have a total of 24 accommodation units ranging from 25 to 85 square meters, and the interiors are designed as contemporary Mediterranean spaces that combine minimalist design, natural materials and elements of local cultural heritage.
A third hotel project is also in preparation, a luxury resort that will also have the largest congress facilities in the Split area. We are developing this project in cooperation with a large international hotel corporation, and we will be able to communicate more details in the next stages of development.
Where do you see AC Hotel by Marriott Split and the Westgate Group in the next five years in the context of premium and lifestyle hospitality, and what role does the business events segment play in this?
Westgate Group, by implementing the planned projects in the period of three to five years, will become the largest hotel company in the Split area. We are recognized by global hotel brands as a reliable partner and we will continue to develop projects in this direction in the future.
In our portfolio, we will have various facilities, from premium and lifestyle hotels to luxury projects that will significantly shape the future tourist offer of the destination.
The MICE segment is of strategic importance to us because we want to ensure stable and year-round business. We want to be a partner to the local community and, through active cooperation between the public and private sectors, work on further positioning Split as a strong year-round destination.
