Preparations for the opening of the first Hilton hotel in Lithuania are complete, and Hilton Garden Inn Vilnius City Centre is welcoming its first guests today. The four-star business-class hotel, located next to Lukiškės Square, was designed taking into account the country’s history, so visitors will find elements of Lithuanian culture both in the hotel itself and in its 164 rooms.
“We have completed all the preparatory work. Last week, Hilton auditors visited the hotel, who very carefully assessed our preparations for the launch – we received the highest rating from them. This means that we meet all global Hilton guest service standards. We, our partners and guests have been waiting for the hotel to open – we have felt the interest and need from the very first day. Today we are welcoming the first guests, and in September, when the business travel season begins, a grand opening event awaits,” says Tadas Ēvaltas, General Manager of Vilnius Hilton Garden Inn.
The new hotel operates in a 7 thousand sq. m. building. It has 164 rooms that are adapted to the needs of business clients – they have ergonomic furniture for work, high-speed Internet. Visitors to the hotel will additionally find a 300 sq. m. conference center, a gym, spaces for communication and a terrace on the roof of the building with a panorama of Vilnius. The hotel also has a conceptual restaurant “Beef Room” with a spacious terrace. The latter is headed by chef from Ukraine Sergij Boiko, who has many years of experience in other restaurants of the “Hilton”, “Hyatt” and “Fairmont” hotel chains.
Hilton Garden Inn Vilnius City Centre is one of the first hotels in the Hilton chain to be equipped with a new concept. It is brighter, more spacious, has more spaces for socializing, and at the same time features details that reflect the local culture. Here, visitors will find brass details resembling Balt patterns in the floor tiles, a wall of skudučiai, a fireplace reminiscent of an altar in the lobby, meeting rooms named after Balt tribes, and brass elements hanging from the ceiling will resemble thatched “gardens”. The hotel’s interior was designed by the Lithuanian company Jurta.
The hotel is located in the Live Square complex, which is being developed by the real estate company Eika. The project, which consists of a business center, a hotel, 3 residential buildings and a shopping mall, will cost EUR 49 million.
“Before starting construction work, we considered a similar project on Gedimino Avenue for three years. Today we see that the decision has paid off in spades. We see a great need for complexes of this type like Live Square: we have almost no vacant apartments, the business center is already full, and there are a few vacant retail gallery spaces left. We believe that this part of the avenue will come to life even more and that citizens and city guests will increasingly visit the square and public roof terrace with a magnificent panorama in the complex,” says Domas Dargis, CEO of Eika.
“The arrival of a brand like Hilton in Lithuania is not only a recognition that our country is moving in the right direction. At the same time, it will also be a positive boost for tourism. Hilton operates in 113 countries and has a widely developed loyalty program, Hilton Honors, so the names of Vilnius and Lithuania will not only be more often seen on business travelers’ tickets, but will also attract larger tourist flows,” says Augustinas Barauskas, head of the hotel operator Apex Alliance Hotel Management. This company manages hotels of the Hilton and Marriott chains in Lithuania, Romania and Latvia.
The hotel employs a team of 60 professionals, with plans to hire about 10 more employees in various positions in the near future. All of them are trained in Hilton’s global guest service standards and adhere to the chain’s international Brighthearted policy, which aims to show sincere care for each hotel guest and provide their trip with an unforgettable experience.
There are currently over 5,700 Hilton hotels worldwide, including 700 Hilton Garden Inns.