Aminess took over operational management of Aminess Alfir Hotel in Prižba: expansion on Korčula enters a new phase
Aminess Hotels & Resorts continues to strengthen its presence on the island of Korčula by taking over the operational management of the Aminess Alfir Hotel in Prižba, a peaceful bay in the area of the Blato municipality. This move fits into the company's long-term growth strategy through a combination of its own investments, acquisitions, and partner management models, while simultaneously confirming that Korčula continues to position itself as one of the key destinations of the southern Adriatic ahead of the 2026 season.
According to information from the company, the Aminess Alfir Hotel is the eighth facility of the Aminess system on Korčula, while in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, it is the thirteenth in total. It is precisely this geographical focus, along with the already established operational infrastructure on the ground, that explains why Aminess management describes this step forward as a logical continuation of development, rather than an isolated project.
If you are planning a visit to the south of the island, in the text we also bring practical context of the location, facilities, and market environment, including
accommodation in Prižba and the surroundings for guests who want to be close to the bay and beaches of the western part of Korčula.
Hotel in a peaceful bay of Blato: emphasis on boutique capacity and higher category facilities
The Aminess Alfir Hotel is a four-star hotel which, according to statements from the company and data from travel aggregators, has 49 accommodation units. Such capacity indicates the concept of a smaller, content-rich facility, relying on a higher level of service and destination experience, rather than a mass model.
The official description of the hotel emphasizes the combination of modern design and natural surroundings, along with spacious suites with a jacuzzi on the terrace, gourmet offer, and wellness rituals. The location is particularly highlighted: the hotel is situated in a bay in the Blato area, and the most famous beach, Ratak, is about 500 meters away, making it attractive to families and guests seeking a more peaceful holiday rhythm, but without giving up on facilities.
It is Prižba that has been gaining additional visibility in recent years as an alternative to the busier parts of the island, especially for guests whose priority is the sea "at their fingertips," privacy, and simple movement logistics. For such a type of travel, there is an increasing demand for
accommodation near Prižba, especially in the pre-season and post-season periods, when destinations with a more pleasant climate and less crowding are increasingly sought after.
What is specifically being taken over: operational management and standardization of service
Taking over operational management means that Aminess, through its specialized management structure, takes over the leading of the hotel's daily business, including sales, marketing, procurement, personnel, operational plans, and budgets, along with defined goals and reporting to the owner. Such a model has become increasingly present in the Croatian hotel industry in recent years because it allows owners professional management without necessarily "entering" a large ownership system, while providing the operator with portfolio expansion and standard recognition.
In practice, for guests, the most important consequence is the equalization of quality: from the way of booking and communication, through service standards and employee training, to the consistency of the food and drink offer and facility maintenance. For the destination, such arrangements often mean stronger international distribution and a more aggressive performance in markets that prefer reliable brands and clear standards.
Knežević: Korčula has been a strategic destination since 2011, the goal is stable and long-term growth
The President of the Management Board of Aminess Hotels & Resorts, Mladen Knežević, emphasizes in a statement that Korčula is an extremely important destination for the company, where presence has been built since 2011, and that the new takeover is seen as a natural continuation of development in a terrain that Aminess knows well.
In that tone, Knežević emphasizes the focus on stable, long-term growth and strengthening the quality of the offer in destinations where Aminess is already recognized as a strong partner. In other words, it is a strategy that prioritizes consolidation and raising standards in existing regions, instead of expanding "at any cost" into completely unknown markets.
Broader context: figures from 2025 and preparation for the 2026 season
The announcement of managing the hotel in Prižba comes at a time when Croatian tourism is increasingly relying on the pre-season and post-season, and companies with a branched portfolio are trying to distribute demand outside the "peak" of summer. In publicly available interviews and announcements from the company, it is pointed out that the Aminess system includes 30 facilities in 11 destinations, with more than two million overnight stays annually, about 2,500 employees during the summer months, and daily catering that reaches almost 19 thousand guests in high season. In the same context, it is stated that the Aminess Group in 2025 achieved a consolidated revenue of almost 150 million euros, ranking it among the largest hotel companies in Croatia.
Such figures are also important for the local image of Korčula: an operational system of this size has the capacity to invest in personnel, standards, and sales channels, but also to influence the extension of the season more strongly through offers and packages. An example is the fact that for the Aminess Alfir Hotel, dates and packages for the period from the end of April to the beginning of October 2026 are already being communicated, which clearly signals the ambition to work outside the short "peak" of July and August.
For guests planning a trip in those periods, it is practical to follow the offer of
accommodation on Korčula as well, especially in the zones of Blato and Prižba, because pre-season and post-season dates often carry a different demand structure and faster filling of smaller capacities.
From "opening in spring" to market presence: what is known today
In earlier announcements, the facility was mentioned as a hotel whose opening is planned in spring, which in the hotel sector is often related to the completion of renovation, preparation of operations, and launch of sales. The official website of the Alfir Resort states the "planned opening date" of May 16, 2025, while in the 2026 season, offers and sales periods are already visible. This suggests that the facility has already entered the market after the renovation, and the current takeover of operational management fits into the phase of stabilization and positioning under the Aminess brand.
For the local community, such projects usually bring a double effect: on one hand, they raise the overall quality of the offer and visibility of the destination, and on the other, they open questions about the workforce, pressure on infrastructure, and management of seasonality. That is why it is important to observe not only the hotel as a separate product, but also its role in the wider destination system of Korčula.
Why exactly Prižba and the western part of Korčula: change in guest preferences
In recent years, the segmentation of demand has become increasingly pronounced: part of the guests seek urban content and the historical core of the city of Korčula, while another part prefers quieter accommodation along bays, promenades, and beaches, with the possibility of excursions towards Vela Luka, Smokvica, or the island's interior. Prižba in that sense naturally fits into the trend of "slower" vacation, with an emphasis on privacy, wellness, and gastronomy.
The Aminess Alfir Hotel bases its market logic precisely on that combination: location by the sea, pools with a view, wellness with a Finnish sauna and steam bath, and a gourmet offer with local ingredients and specialties. Such a package works particularly well in periods when guests are ready to spend more on experience and quality, and the mass animation program or nightlife is less important to them.
For those who want to travel with family or as a couple, it is often practical to compare
accommodation options for visitors to Prižba regarding the proximity to the beach, parking possibilities, and availability of facilities, because "microlocations" on Korčula can differ significantly in logistics.
Gastronomy, wellness and "smaller" luxury: what is expected from a four-star hotel
In Croatian tourism, the four-star category has become a kind of standard in recent years for guests looking for "safe" quality, but also a certain level of luxury without necessarily entering the highest price class. In this context, facilities such as a jacuzzi on the terrace, a wellness zone, and a focused gastronomic offer are no longer the exception, but an important differentiator in the competition.
For Korčula, it is specific that the guest often does not come only for the hotel, but for the combination of sea, nature, local food, and excursions. Therefore, it is expected that the operational management of a brand with developed sales channels will further strengthen the "package" of the experience: from recommendations and organization to creating an offer that better communicates the authenticity of the island.
Growth strategy: investments, acquisitions, and partner models
In its public appearances, Aminess emphasizes a growth strategy based on a combination of its own investments, acquisitions, partner models, and hotel management. This is an approach that, in theory, allows for faster expansion without excessive capital burden, while maintaining control over service standards.
From a market aspect, the key advantage is that an operator with a developed system can relatively quickly "raise" the performance of the facility: optimize the sales structure, better manage prices by season, standardize processes, and strengthen the quality of personnel. This is particularly important in destinations like Korčula, where capacities are limited and competition for the workforce is increasingly sharp.
Possible effects on the destination: season extension and pressure on resources
In the best-case scenario, such projects encourage the extension of the season through a stronger presence in April, May, September, and October, with a growth in consumption per guest and a better distribution of the load on the infrastructure. In reality, however, destinations face a range of challenges: from the availability of workers and housing for seasonal workers to transport connectivity and management of communal systems in periods of increased demand.
For Korčula, an additional factor is geographical limitation: island logistics require precise planning, and every major change in the structure of the offer can affect local suppliers, carriers, and service activities. If the operational model relies on local ingredients and partners, the effect on the economy can be positive; if supply is too centralized, the profit for the local economy may be smaller than expected.
That is precisely why in the coming months it will be important to monitor how the operational management in Prižba will reflect on employment, procurement, and cooperation with local suppliers, but also on the tourist image of the bay in the 2026 season.
Korčula as a key point of the south: competition is growing, differentiation is necessary
Korčula has been in a special position in recent years: on one hand, it has a strong identity and recognition, and on the other, it faces growing competition from other Dalmatian islands and coastal cities that are aggressively investing in new capacities and facilities. In such an environment, hotels and brands are increasingly seeking differentiation through experience, design, gastronomy, and wellness, but also through a clear story about the destination.
Aminess's expansion on Korčula can be read as an attempt to further strengthen that mosaic of offers: a combination of already known facilities in the city of Korčula and the surroundings, with the new hotel in Prižba, expands the range of products and covers different segments of demand. This is also important for the distribution of guests within the island, because part of the visitors prefer a "base" from which excursions are made, while others want to stay in one, quieter place by the sea.
In that sense, Prižba and Blato are becoming increasingly relevant even for those who are not necessarily hotel guests, but want to spend a few days in the western part of the island. Therefore, a greater interest in
accommodation offers in Blato and Prižba is expected, especially in weeks when peace is sought, rather than city crowds.
What follows: the 2026 season as a test of operational integration
As January 29, 2026, approaches key operational preparations for the tourist year, the takeover of management of the Aminess Alfir Hotel gains additional weight: the 2026 season will be the first full cycle in which it will be seen in practice how quickly and efficiently the system can integrate the facility, standardize the service, and position it towards the markets that Aminess traditionally covers.
For guests, this will be visible through the availability of packages, clarity of the offer, consistency of service, and the experience of the hotel on the ground. For the local community, key indicators will be employment, business cooperation, and the way seasonality and pressure on infrastructure are managed. And for the company itself, it is another step in a growth strategy that, according to their public messages, relies on long-term stability and raising quality in destinations where they are already strongly present.
Sources:- - Aminess (official hotel page) – description of the location in the Blato bay, suites with jacuzzi, wellness and gourmet offer, distance to Ratak beach ( link )
- - Poslovni dnevnik – interview and business indicators for 2025: 30 facilities in 11 destinations, employment in season, overnight stays and consolidated revenue ( link )
- - Alfir Resort (official page) – stated planned opening date May 16, 2025, and description of accommodation and service ( link )
- - Aminess (special offer “New Members”) – sales periods for the 2026 season and key included contents ( link )
- - Aminess Hospitality Group – description of the model of full takeover of operational management and centralized management functions ( link )
- - HotelsOne / Alfir Resort – data on 49 accommodation units (guestrooms) as a market reference statement ( link )
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