The attendance of the Koprino Bay Park Hotel, the anchor facility of the Yaroslavskoye Vzmorye resort, has grown many times over four years, now up to 70 thousand guests come here, and next year an influx of up to 100 thousand tourists a year is expected. Artem Litvin, general manager of the Koprino Bay Park Hotel, talks about what attracts travelers to this resort and what novelties await in the 2023 season.
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— The Yaroslavskoye Vzmorie resort and its anchor facility, the Park Hotel Bukhta Koprino, are ready for the new season-2023. And what are the main results of the past year, what do the numbers show, is the dynamics of tourists’ interest in such a format of recreation — country holidays in Russia — changing?
— The main thing that we note is that we are blurring the concept of the season. Previously, the main influx of guests fell on the period from the end of June to the middle of August, as well as on New Year's holidays. Now we are already waiting for the maximum influx of guests from the May holidays – until the end of August, as well as all the long weekends, we have a full load. And even in the off-season, we have a good load, say, in the winter months, the load was 70%, in March it was 50%, now in April the figure again reaches 70%.
— Has it increased in general, the number of guests of the Park Hotel?
— Yes, since 2019, that is, in 4 years, we have grown multiple times, and this is a very good indicator. Over the past year, we received about 70 thousand guests at the Koprino Bay Park Hotel. It's a whole small town! And despite the cost of rest, it has increased slightly. Now, in the off-season, renting a cottage costs from 19 to 22 thousand rubles, in the season – up to 35 thousand rubles a day.
Interesting statistics by region. We used to think that mostly Yaroslavl residents come to us, less Muscovites. Now, since 2022, the situation has changed: Moscow accounts for 60%, Yaroslavl – 30%, about 10% more – Vologda, Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg.
The logistics are convenient, you can get to us both by your own car and by rail – the Lastochka train costs about 1200 rubles and takes 3 hours from Moscow, and from Yaroslavl we provide guests with a transfer, or you can take a taxi (about 2000 rubles for 120 kilometers). We have hope that when our new Koprino-Posad project starts at the Yaroslavl Seaside resort (and these are three hotels and an apart-hotel with a total capacity of 700 rooms, an aqua center with a water park, a congress center, restaurants, shops ), a train to Rybinsk will also be launched from Moscow, then getting to us will be even easier (30 km from Rybinsk to us by car).
— What is your pricing policy today, what are you focusing on ?
We don't sell cheap anymore. We have to take into account the realities, the salary fund is also growing – we are raising salaries, and servicing guests is becoming more expensive. We try to monetize our services as much as possible. In 2021–2022, we grew by 10% in terms of the number of guests, and by 30% in terms of revenue. We focus on a more expensive guest who is ready to consume services and pay for them. And if earlier accommodation provided 70% of revenue, now it is 50%. And 30% of the Park Hotel's revenue is food in various formats and our wellness center, it sells well. We focus on additional sales – massages, spa treatments, these services provide up to 20% of revenue. Our Russian cedar banya, famous for its zest — huge vats in which you can “steam” – take a steam bath in the fresh air, has grown in revenue 6 times compared to 2019.
— Who works at the Park Hotel, what kind of training does the staff receive?
– Our main personnel are residents of Rybinsk, and the remaining 30% are from the village of Tikhmenevo and surrounding settlements. There is a lot of work in Rybinsk, so it is not easy for us to attract potential employees. But it is important for us that our employees burn with their work. And we have people in our team who have been working at our resort for years.
The staff is constantly trained. The staff has its own training manager who trains employees. The hotel has its own standard for each procedure, which the employee must follow.
We pay special attention to safety. Around the clock, the entire territory of the hotel is under control, there are constant rounds, day and night. Therefore, our guests can be sure that they are under our full protection.
— What awaits tourists this season, including in terms of accommodation options?
< p>– At the end of August, we will put into operation a new building. The 127 rooms of the hotel can accommodate up to 250 people. We feel a growing demand for more placements. Now the number of rooms is 9 categories – from single rooms “single” to a villa of 250 square meters, and we notice that options for accommodating 2-3 people (granville and two-bedroom cottages) are selling better than large cottages. Therefore, the new building will be filled successfully. Our corporate clients are also in demand for such accommodation, it is convenient to accommodate a large number of guests.
. Now there is no guarantee that this will actually happen.
— Speaking of restaurants, will there be any gastronomic novelties?
— We traditionally change the restaurant menu once a year. In December, the menu of the Kalita restaurant was updated. We have a separate fish menu – these are dishes from local fish species, this is wild fish from the Volga. For example, Volga pike-perch julienne, fried bream, triple fish soup. We also offer sturgeon dishes. The menu also includes pike cutlets, a time-tested dish that our guests like. And, of course, we preserve those dishes that tourists love, for example, soup from local porcini mushrooms.
— Do you develop leisure opportunities for tourists?
— People come to us to immerse themselves in comfort and relaxation, to communicate with nature. Therefore, of course, walks in the Reserved Forest and outdoor activities (bicycles, rollerblades, ATVs) are the main things that guests love so much. Of course, this is our spa complex, a swimming pool with an open-air jacuzzi, cedar baths with professional bath attendants, with the right steam (and since last year, aroma – phyto-steam appeared in our Russian bath).
But there are also new approaches. For example, we recently tested a new animation format – Pathfinder School. And we got a good response and interest. So, from May 1, such a School will work permanently for us. We decided to increase leisure opportunities for schoolchildren. What to do with a teenager from 12 years old? How to make sure that he is not bored and at the same time that he does not sit on the phone? It turned out that the daily activities at the Pathfinder School captivated the children. These are survival skills in the forest (in any weather, at any time of the year, it is important to be able to do this), and knowledge of the voices of birds, and the ability to identify an animal by its tracks. How to build a fire, how to navigate the wild forest, and so on. We have a huge forest – and we decided to use its capabilities. Classes are conducted by animators who have been trained. By the way, it turned out that it is interesting not only for teenagers. Dads enjoyed going to classes with their children.
We will also expand the possibilities of ATV expeditions. It's in demand.
Another popular activity in our resort is golf. Today this game is becoming more and more democratic, you can come to play with the whole family, our golf course is interesting for both professionals and beginners, and golf instructors are simply in love with their job.
— You have been for 4 years manage the Park-Hotel “Bukhta Koprino”. How has it changed your life?
— It doesn’t bother us, we live and work very actively here. And one of the important moments that unexpectedly influenced my life is harmony with nature. I suddenly noticed that I felt the smallest details. I already know by the sight of the Volga when the ice will melt on it. Or, without looking at the clock, I can tell what time it is – I determine it by daylight hours. I see the mating dances of magpies, which means that spring has begun. Here it is, suburban and rural life. And this is not knowledge from a book, this is practice and life experience, observations. I am a city person, and it was very unusual for me to catch these changes in myself.
And of course, it is incredibly pleasant that our guests join such a measured, harmonious life. It is very important for us to receive feedback, I know our regular guests by sight, and when they come again, I always come up, thank you for visiting us, and ask if they like us. And they say: “I like it very much. We never thought that our Russian service could be of such a high level.”
It turns out that in Russia you can have a high-quality, interesting, rich vacation, while here there is the possibility of both solitude and communication with nature (and everything we do, we do with an emphasis on natural aesthetics), and the possibility of outdoor activities.
— What is your forecast for how many tourists the resort will be able to receive after expanding accommodation options?
— When the new Koprino Plaza hotel opens, we predict an influx of up to 100 thousands of tourists a year.
Now, in general, there is a trend when people are looking for vacation options where they have not been before. Other important parameters are comfort and stylish, high-quality accommodation conditions, delicious food, a variety of leisure activities, relaxation opportunities, maximum unity with nature and, at the same time, educational recreation opportunities – and we have all this. Right up to a comfortable beach and clean water. So we are not surprised that many choose to rest with us instead of a trip to the sea (especially since flights have become more expensive today, and inconvenient, and the beaches are crowded). We see the reviews and their quality – and there is no reason for the tourist not to return to us. I see an increase in the rating of our Park Hotel.