Aminess Younique Korčula Heritage Hotel after renovation aims for five stars: investment in luxury and heritage in the heart of the old town core

Korčula, one of the most recognizable pearls of southern Dalmatia, enters 2026 with a project that could visibly change accommodation standards in the city itself. Aminess Hotels & Resorts has announced an investment of 3.4 million euros in the complete reconstruction and redesign of the Aminess Younique Korčula Heritage Hotel, a historic building on the waterfront, a few steps from the walls of the old town core and the sea. After the works, the hotel should operate as an exclusive heritage facility of the highest category, with an emphasis on an intimate boutique experience, top-notch service, and a strong connection with the city's identity.

For Korčula, where cruise ships, sailors, and individual guests intertwine in the main season, such positioning also has a broader effect: raising the quality of the offer, strengthening gastronomy, and potentially extending the season through content not exclusively tied to July and August. Given the limited capacities in the historic core itself, some visitors are already planning their stay in advance, and reviewing accommodation offers in Korčula near the old town is often the first step in organizing a trip.

A hotel that marked the Korčula waterfront

Official Aminess pages state that the hotel was built in 1912 as the city's first hotel, with a café and terrace that for decades were the center of social life on the waterfront. International media and tourist guides also highlight the fact that the hotel marked 110 years in 2022, which fits into the story of continuity and the location's recognizability. In promotional materials, the company states that guests throughout history have included Wallis Simpson, Jackie Kennedy, and Sophia Loren, and it is precisely on such a heritage that the concept of a luxury heritage hotel is built: a "belle époque" atmosphere in the space, but with the standards of comfort and personalized service that today's guests expect.

In practice, the heritage concept in historical cores means a sensitive balance: preserving the character of the space (proportions, details, atmosphere) alongside the infrastructural requirements of today's travelers – from sleep quality and sound insulation to digital services, air conditioning, and discreet logistics in old city structures. The proximity to the old core further increases demand, so when planning a trip, accommodation for visitors to old Korčula is often checked so that the most important locations are accessible on foot, without daily dependence on transport.

Work deadlines and planned opening at the beginning of the 2026 season

In publicly communicated announcements, the opening at the beginning of the next tourist season is mentioned, which with today's date of December 22, 2025, translates to the beginning of the 2026 season. Additional insight into the schedule is provided by documentation related to the works: a tender for the execution of works on the renovation of the hotel in Korčula was published on the official pages of the Aminess Group, stating the planned start of works in September 2025 and completion in March 2026. If this schedule holds, the hotel could be ready for the pre-season and spring weekends, i.e., for the start of the 2026 tourist season.

Such a timing also has business logic. Completion before the spring wave of travel increases the chance that the new product is "caught" before the summer peak, but also that Korčula leans more heavily on city break arrivals and eno-gastro trips in April, May, September, and October. In periods when crowds are smaller but interest exists, accommodation in Korčula for the pre-season and post-season with a good location and facilities that do not depend exclusively on swimming is sought.

What "luxury heritage" means: fewer rooms, more details

According to the announced concept, after the renovation, the hotel will have a lobby bar and 11 premium rooms, with an emphasized individual approach to the guest. Such a direction is contrary to the mass model: instead of increasing capacity, the focus is on design, privacy, and service. In practice, this usually means a higher share of personalized content, higher quality room equipment, more sophisticated lighting and acoustics, as well as a larger number of employees per guest compared to lower category hotels.

For a city like Korčula, where the old core is protected and spatially limited, small luxury hotels are often seen as one of the answers to the challenge of sustainability: fewer people at the same time, but higher added value, with potentially less pressure on infrastructure. At the same time, such an approach raises expectations – from breakfast and bedding standards to service speed, staff discretion, and consistency in every detail. In the luxury segment, it's not just aesthetics that are crucial, but routine: how check-in and check-out work, how reliable the service is, how high-quality the staff's recommendations are, and how much the guest feels "seen" without being intrusive.

The terrace as a "city living room" and return to the waterfront

In Korčula, the hotel is traditionally discussed through its terrace – a place with a view of the sea, ships, and passers-by on the waterfront, which for decades served as a kind of city living room. Announcements suggest that after the renovation, the terrace should gain additional importance and become an unavoidable point for guests and visitors, not only as a backdrop but also as a space for coffee, cocktails, and evening socializing. In practice, such a space often carries the hotel's identity as strongly as the rooms: it is visible, "lives" throughout the day, and forms a bridge between the facility and the city.

Public spaces in heritage hotels are often the key to business success: even when the number of rooms is small, the restaurant and bar can attract local residents, sailors, and day visitors. In this sense, the quality of the offer on the ground floor is not an "addition" but the foundation of the facility's identity and its relationship with the local community. That is why, alongside the renovation of accommodation, standardizing service in hospitality and consistency of atmosphere – from music and lighting to the selection of ingredients and wines – will play an important role.

Gastronomy: 7 Seas and Matija Bogdan as an asset

The gourmet component in this project has a special place. The 7 Seas Restaurant & Bar by Matija Bogdan operates within the hotel, and destination channels and official restaurant pages emphasize a concept based on Adriatic ingredients, local produce, and a high level of service. Public announcements of the project also highlight the international experience of chef Matija Bogdan, including work at the London restaurant The Ledbury, which is often cited as a fine dining reference in the gastronomic scene. For Korčula, which already has a strong identity in wine and gastronomic offerings, such a focus on fine dining can be an additional reason for guests to arrive outside the main season, but also a strong signal that the destination is moving towards higher added value.

Such a step forward can have a domino effect: strengthening local suppliers, a greater focus on seasonality and cooperation with winemakers, and creating reasons to come even outside July and August. Therefore, when planning a gastronomic weekend or a trip outside the peak, accommodation near the waterfront and restaurants in Korčula is often sought, so that the city can be experienced without the logistical burden of a car, especially in periods when parking spaces are limited.

Broader context: investments and the shift towards year-round tourism

The renovation project on Korčula fits into a broader trend in Croatian tourism: an ever-stronger emphasis on quality, year-round business, and higher added value per guest. According to data from the eVisitor and eCrew systems, Croatia achieved more than 21.3 million arrivals and over 108.7 million overnight stays in 2024, with growth compared to 2023. The Ministry of Tourism and Sport emphasized in its announcements that these results confirm the direction towards a year-round destination, which is the framework in which investments in higher category hotels gain additional weight.

For Korčula, this means strengthening content that attracts guests even when the sea is not the primary motive: cultural events, interpretation tours, eno-gastro programs, outdoor activities, and high-quality accommodation that can justify the price even in April or October. In such a rhythm, accommodation in Korčula for spring and autumn is particularly sought after, especially for travelers who want to experience the city without the summer crowds, but with content that ensures a full experience of the destination.

Branding and positioning of Aminess

Through the "Younique" brand, Aminess emphasizes the concept of hotels with a distinct identity – a special location, history, or architecture – with the idea that no experience is "serially" the same. In the case of Korčula, that identity consists of the waterfront, the proximity to the old core, the view of the Pelješac Channel, and the stories associated with more than a century of hotel tradition. Official hotel pages list 11 luxury rooms and an ambiance inspired by belle époque aesthetics, which should be further emphasized after the renovation through design, materials, and the experience of the space.

According to published information about the project, it is a reconstruction that should preserve and reinterpret the building's historical elements, with 21st-century standards of service and comfort. Consistency is key in such a concept: it is not enough to raise the category on paper; it is necessary to ensure that the experience of luxury is recognized in everyday situations – from the way the staff communicates to how excursions, tastings, and programs in the city are suggested to the guest. In this sense, the renovated hotel will be compared not only with facilities on the islands but also with the best boutique hotels in the most attractive historical centers in the Mediterranean.

What this can bring to Korčula: opportunities and challenges

For the local community, a luxury heritage hotel can mean new jobs (especially in the segments of reception, hosting, sommelier services, and fine dining service), greater demand for local products, and additional visibility of the destination on the market. On the other hand, strengthening the "premium" offer often opens questions of accessibility – from prices in hospitality to pressure on the housing stock in the old core, where the relationship between the lives of local residents and tourism is already a sensitive topic.

Korčula is a destination with limited space in the center, so some visitors seek alternatives in surrounding places or in accommodation that allows quick arrival to the city. In that case, accommodation on Korčula with good connections to the old town is most sought after, whether on foot, by bicycle, or local transport, depending on the part of the island and the tour plan. Such an arrangement often allows for a quieter stay while simultaneously maintaining the availability of content in the city.

What the guest experience could look like

If the project fulfills its announced goals, the experience should be a combination of intimate boutique accommodation and active connection with the city. This means that the hotel will not function as an isolated "resort" but as part of the daily rhythm of the waterfront: morning coffee by the sea, an afternoon break after sightseeing, dinner in a restaurant with a sunset view, and an overnight stay in rooms where historical character merges with modern equipment. Precisely such a combination is often the reason guests choose heritage hotels – the feeling of being "in the story," but without sacrificing comfort.

Korčula's advantage is also the breadth of content in the immediate vicinity – from walks along the walls and narrow streets to boat trips around the archipelago. Given that both hotels and private capacities fill up quickly in the season, timely checking of accommodation offers in Korčula is often decisive for the choice of location and budget, especially when the trip is tied to specific dates, events, or the desired type of accommodation.

Expectations for the 2026 season

Completion of works in March 2026, if realized according to plan, puts Korčula in an interesting position: the renovated hotel could already serve as a "showcase" for the new accommodation standard in April and May, and welcome summer with a fully formed product. This is also important due to the market competition among Adriatic destinations, where the battle is increasingly fought for a guest who is not looking only for sun and sea, but for an experience, a story, and an authentic backdrop.

The success of the project, however, will not depend only on aesthetics or categorization, but on whether what luxury means today will be delivered in practice: reliable service, flexibility, local character, and the feeling that everything is "at the guest's fingertips" – from recommendations for excursions and wine cellars to a peaceful sleep in the city center. If Korčula gets a hotel that can consistently carry this ambition, the gain will not only be in a new facility but also in a stronger positioning of the destination in a market that increasingly seeks quality instead of quantity.

Sources:
- Aminess – official page of Aminess Younique Korčula Heritage Hotel ( link )
- Aminess BIZ – tender for works and planned deadlines ( link )
- 7 Seas Restaurant & Bar – official restaurant page and concept description ( link )
- Visit Korčula – destination page with information about the 7 Seas restaurant in Korčula ( link )
- Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the RC – tourism data for 2024 (eVisitor/eCrew) ( link )
- Croatian National Tourist Board – announcement on 2024 results ( link )
- Condé Nast Traveler – guide through Korčula and note on 110 years of the hotel ( link )