Entrepreneur Vladimir Melnichenko, who previously worked in the coal business in Kuzbass, bought a five-star hotel Louis C. Jacob for 40 million euros in the elite district of Hamburg (Germany).

According to German realtors, the price of buying an old hotel was lower than in the early 1990s, when the cost of restructuring and repair was estimated at more than 100 million more German marks (the assessment was conducted before the introduction of a single currency in the European Union).

Vladimir Melnichenko bought the hotel in 2015, but it is known about this only now. Between the parties to the transaction there was a conclusion on non-disclosure. Immediate participants were also required to maintain confidentiality.

- Not only management, but also ordinary workers knew about the change of the owner, - the former employee confirmed. According to her, Melnychenko came to the hotel several times with his family and friend. A graduate engineer with gray hair and a mustache and prominent eyebrows held himself noble.

Employees who saw him, describe Melnichenko as a pleasant and humble person. They say that the Russian has found pleasure in the hotel and therefore is engaged in it.

Since the acquisition, the businessman has already invested in the hotel certain funds.

In particular, 25% of the 85 rooms (21 suites and 64 standard rooms), a living room, a bar, a restaurant were renovated, new furniture was purchased. In the future, the kitchen will be renovated.

- Investments are planned for repair of the remaining rooms and adjacent territories. Also, money will go to purchase and develop a network of computers and software, "said a representative of the managing company DSR Hotel Holding.

He did not specify how much money the new owner had already invested in repair and modernization.

The rental fee for the management of the hotel is 1 million euros per year.

The cost of living in Louis C. Jacob starts from 330 euros per night for a one-room suite with an area of ​​27 square meters, and in suites ranging in size from 60 to 100 square meters. meters with views of the Elbe River, the historic part of the city or the park, the price ranges from 885 to 1635 euros per day.

Previously, the hotel was owned by Horst Rahe. But because of the crisis, the creditor bank asked the company ahead of schedule to repay the loan taken for the purchase of the hotel. The loan was repaid, and the hotel became the property of the offshore Jacob 1 Limited in Malta, which is controlled by Vladimir Melnichenko.

According to the editor-in-chief of Hotelier.PRO Andrey Ryabov, the hotel will not pay off until 2025.

- Hotels around the world pay off not so fast as offices or lodgings. A good period for a stable economy is 7-8 years. In Russia, at least 10-15. Germany is a country with a well-established hotel infrastructure, moreover, the hotel market of the country is on the rise, - said Lyuf Andrey Ryabov.

According to him, throughout the whole of Western Europe for seven months in 2017, there has been an increase in the number of downloads, the cost of rooms and, as a result, an increase in the yield from each number.

Among the competitive advantages of the hotel, the expert attributes an advantageous location.

Louis C. Jacob is a historic hotel that is over 200 years old. It is included in the luxury collection of Leading Hotels of the World, which gives it additional marketing advantages in terms of attracting guests. The hotel is small even by western standards (85 rooms). Guests evaluate its service at a fairly high level. Ratings on Booking.com - 9.0. Average score for Hamburg 7.4. The competitive environment of the hotel is good, there are no large hotels near the hotel.

- The payback period of the hotel will depend on what kind of work the Russian businessman intends to spend in it and what amount to invest. Apparently, the hotel's room fund and infrastructure are worn out - this is already being said about repairs and plans for new repair work. Not only is renovation of a historic hotel a process in itself costly, in the process of renovating the rooms do not bring income. The renovation of the kitchen generally calls into question the work of the hotel in the former format, "added the editor-in-chief of Hotelier.PRO.

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At the end of 2016, Vladimir Melnichenko held 179th place in the Russian list of billionaires Forbes, his fortune was estimated at $ 450 million.

Vladimir Melnichenko is known as the founder and former co-owner of one of the largest producers of coking coal in Russia - the Sibuglemet holding company. Mr. Melnichenko sold his stake in Sibuglemete in 2013, the amount was not disclosed. But almost a year later, in his public speech, Governor of the Kemerovo Region Aman Tuleyev stated that Mr. Melnichenko earned $ 700 million on this deal.

At the same time, after changing his place of residence, the businessman paid income tax to the budget of the Moscow region, because of which in fact the budget of Kuzbass did not receive more than 2.1 billion rubles, which caused outrage of the political establishment of the region.

Governor Aman Tuleyev called Vladimir Melnichenko "a traitor to the interests of Kuzbass," describing his act as immoral, inhuman and immoral.

- It was in the Kuzbass Melnichenko became one of the richest people in Russia, using heavy mining work, causing irreparable damage to the ecology of the region. In fact, he betrayed his countrymen, "said Aman Tuleyev.