Bohinj - Hotel Bohinj in Ribčev Laz on the shore of Lake Bohinj has reopened after a complete renovation. Owned by crypto-millionaire Damian Merlak, the four-star hotel offers 69 rooms and relies on a combination of the traditional and modern. An open day on Friday will follow Thursday's grand opening.

Hotel Bohinj is the second of the four hotels in the area around Lake Bohinj that were bought by Merlak at the beginning of 2019. He promised them a brighter future, which made people in Bohinj very happy.

"One of the best things that happened to us in Bohinj recently was the start of the renovation of these hotels," said Mayor Jože Sodja, adding that tourism in Bohinj needed hotels.

The new owner soon showed that he was serious in his intention to renovate and revitalise the dilapidated hotels. In the first few months after the purchase, he carried out a small renovation of Aparthotel Triglav, and Hotel Bohinj was the second to undergo renovation.

According to Sodja, the latter can already make a significant contribution to the development of boutique tourism in Bohinj, and they are also looking forward to the reconstruction of Hotel Zlatorog.

Merlak is also satisfied with the investment, and is not sorry that the project continued despite the pandemic. "We had already started the investment before the epidemic and even when it started, I had no concerns," he said, explaining that the time during lockdowns was well used to carry out the work.

The renovation took a year and a half and was more extensive than originally planned, which made the investment more expensive, but Merlak did not disclose the total amount. Jure Repanšek, CEO of Alpinia, the company that manages Merlak's Bohinj hotels, is convinced that the renovation was the right decision.

As soon as bookings opened, there was a great interest in staying at the hotel and within just a few days, the hotel was almost fully booked for the first week of August. So far, the biggest demand has come from Slovenians.

Hotel Bohinj has been extensively renovated, including various elements to present old stories and local culture in a modern way. Alpinia also continues with its efforts to redevelop Hotel Zlatorog, which is so dilapidated that it will be demolished and rebuilt in a slightly different shape. The Ski Hotel at the Vogel ski resort will be the last to be renovated.