In the near future, guests of the Zavidovo resort in the Tver region will be pleasantly surprised by the mass of new offers for recreation and leisure. New accommodation points, baths, pools, beaches will appear here. And in the autumn the port will also start to work, and it will begin to receive motor ships. Large-scale construction has also started in Zavidovo – in a few years, several more hotels will start operating at the resort, as well as a family recreation center with a water park. The resort has made a powerful leap forward.
< strong>“Tourists are happy to choose an inexpensive but interesting vacation”
Every year the Zavidovo resort, which has been actively developing since 2008, expands its accommodation options. Now guests can stay in the comfortable conditions of the Radisson Resort, Zavidovo hotel, the luxurious rooms of the Zavidovo club hotel, or choose cozy options at the ZAVIDOVO SPA VILLAGE or the Yamskaya Sloboda complex, there is also a budget vacation close to a tourist one – these are camping houses . This season, the management of the Zavidovo resort, which has been actively developing since 2008, decided to pay special attention to Yamskaya Sloboda and its camping area. According to Konstantin Zabrodin, the head of the Zavidovo resort, this project has definitely justified itself, and it is necessary to continue investing in it.
There are plans to build a 100-150-room hotel on the territory of Yamskaya Sloboda, possibly with a swimming pool. It will not be as compact as the already built cases, but there are already ideas on how to make it. “The demand for vacations is high, it is not satisfied. If you look at the prices for summer holidays in Russia – in Gelendzhik, Sochi, Crimea – it is very expensive. At the same time, there are few places. Therefore, there are many people who want to relax in quality places at resorts such as Zavidovo, and we must be ready to accept such tourists. And if there is a decent product in the Moscow region, it will definitely sell,” explains Konstantin Zabrodin.
Appear in the “Yamskaya Sloboda” and other objects. A pavilion will be built here – and construction will begin in the coming months – where it will be possible to hold a corporate event, a wedding, take a group of children, dancers or wrestlers to sports camps, for example. There is also an interesting idea to build a gourmet cheese restaurant – the start of construction is scheduled for autumn 2022. Guests of the resort will be able to watch the process of making cheese and taste it. There will also be tastings and sales of organic dairy and meat products of the Ugleche Pole brand, produced by the AgriVolga agricultural holding, and farm products. Thus, part of the building will be occupied by a restaurant, part – a farm shop.
And the next step is the Traveling Palace, it will appear in a grove behind the second building of the Yamskaya Hotel. Externally, the architecture of the building will continue the general style of the settlement, and the palace will look like examples of the 19th century – it will be built according to the standard project of a travel hotel dating back to 1827. The functionality of the Traveling Palace is an exhibition hall for banquets and meetings, recreation, conferences and expositions. Well, the mission is, of course, to continue the traditions of the Yamskaya Sloboda: to acquaint the guests of the resort with history, with how people of past centuries traveled (the sovereign's road from Moscow to St. Petersburg passed precisely through these places). According to Konstantin Zabrodin, it is generally very important to invest something in the minds and hearts of tourists, then the rest will be remembered for a long time. The Road Palace project will be implemented in 2023 or 2024.
On the territory of Yamskaya Sloboda, a photo zone will be created for beautiful photos for social networks and animation programs for children will be organized. Somewhere they will be included in the accommodation, somewhere they will be additional services. This will greatly change the history of family vacations: people will have more positive reviews. After all, when a family goes on vacation with small children, spouses also want to spend some time together without a child, switch, relax.
“A family atmosphere is always pleasant for people”
Now the guests of the Yamskaya hotel pay for accommodation, and they pay for food separately – you can eat at the local restaurant Traktir, you can go for lunch at the Crimea restaurant near the golf club, and for dinner at the Radisson Resort, Zavidovo, or even walking around the neighborhood, eat somewhere in a cafe. But in Zavidovo they believe that it is more convenient for the guest to be sure that he will be fed, and the head will no longer hurt about catering. Yes, and hotels are more profitable.
“If a client has already come for an inexpensive comprehensive service (when breakfast, lunch and dinner are included), then, you see, he will still get and spend 1,000 rubles,” says Konstantin Zabrodin. – That is why a combination works well in the Western tourism business, when a client, being on a complex service, can also order additional services on the territory of a hotel or resort. On the one hand, the client is guaranteed that he will not exceed the budget, on the other hand, the wife or children do not constantly pull, asking for money, and the client knows exactly how much additional services will cost. This is a big plus, which is why our compatriots love to relax in the all-inclusive option. This allows you to plan your holiday budget in advance. In addition, vacations are often booked in advance, at a low price without canceling the reservation. Thus, the tourist has already paid money, forgot about them. And by the time of the vacation, he already has new money – it is easier for him to part with them.
As Konstantin Zabrodin explains, the offers of hotels near Moscow with all-inclusive options are quickly swept away: it is convenient for tourists. And these hotels have occupancy rates of 60 percent or more. “This suggests that this format is easier. And we plan to correct the situation and do the same, – says Konstantin Zabrodin. – Now we are changing the restaurant manager. And our obligatory condition is to end up with the all-inclusive format. Whether there will be a full meal there, or whether it will be enough to give out lunch bags so that guests are not tied in time to dinner, it does not matter. But breakfast and a good dinner should be mandatory: first, second, third, dessert and alcohol. We will introduce this format in Yamskaya Sloboda.
And the culture of hospitality is not forgotten here. Konstantin Zabrodin himself admits that he appreciates it very much when on vacation in already familiar establishments they know the choice of dishes familiar to his family, some preferences, this creates a warm atmosphere of comfort. In “Yamskaya Sloboda” from the very beginning they try to follow such traditions. And they will stick to them. “When there is a club family atmosphere, it is very pleasant for people. After all, when we enter an institution, we still overcome some kind of barrier. You need to choose a table so as not to constantly change, you need to decide on the choice of dishes. And you want it when the waiters know where your favorite table is, and immediately escort you to it, and already carry your favorite tea with sea buckthorn, for example. This is the atmosphere we want to achieve in Yamskaya Sloboda, this hotel has a similar style of communication.
Visiting squirrels and deer
Updates are waiting for the camping area. Such an unpretentious, but at the same time comfortable and relaxing outdoor recreation fell in love with many. Moreover, this placement option is of interest to different consumer audiences. “There are also exotic options, when a person comes to a camping house in a car for 15 million rubles. Or these are people of my age who found pioneer camps or camp sites – for example, I would be curious to come and live in such a house. If only simply because no one is above the soul here, and such guests choose this place on a psycho-emotional level, says Konstantin Zabrodin. “And easy-going families who don’t whine about the lack of amenities. For example, families with children have been resting on the banks of the Volga for decades. These are real field camps: tents, stationary kitchens, smoke-baths. I think children who spend the whole summer like this with their parents grow up much more adapted to life. They understand what nature is, how and where the sun rises. They are not cut off from real life. Our audience is people who love nature, who can live at least a day without a phone or laptop.”
Communication with nature is really very close here. Rabbits live on the campsite – they run right through the meadows, they are almost tame, you can pet them. They decided to breed squirrels in the forest, soon there will be more of them, and it is always interesting to offer nuts or seeds to a squirrel right from your hand. The resort also plans to create a deer farm. This format of leisure attracts tourists and is already successfully operating in the Tver region, but it is a long way to go there. Therefore, it was decided to organize communication with deer on the territory of Zavidovo. Enthusiastic emotions of children and adults are guaranteed. And another plus of such a format of accommodation as camping is that people sit less in rooms, spend more time on the street, get to know each other. Konstantin Zabrodin is sure that this is another important mission of Zavidovo – to encourage people to communicate.
The construction of 20 new camping houses will begin in the fall, and already in 2023 they will be ready to receive guests. The public area of the shower and toilets will also be modernized here, and the landscape will be improved.
Swimming season is just around the corner
There is no sea in Zavidovo, but the love of tourists for summer swimming is fully realized here. The resort is located on the water – the rivers Doibitsa, Shosha, tributaries of the Volga. Zavidovo has its own large beach area – with the purest sand and water (the quality is carefully monitored), changing cabins, sports areas (nearby – the activities of the Wake Park “Aquatory of Summer”).
The beach will also appear in the camping area. There is a lake here – a second one will be built nearby, and a convenient beach area will also be made on the lakes.
There are also more exotic ideas. “We want to make a pool with warm water inside an existing lake,” says Konstantin Zabrodin. – I have seen this several times: this is a reservoir, limited by a side along the perimeter, it is warm all year round. The water in the pool will be different, filtered. Such a container is immersed in a common body of water (in our case, a lake), and it is separated from the lake. From May to October, the pool may well function. Such a pool will wonderfully complement and diversify the rest in the Yamskaya Sloboda.
Without spa areas, too, anywhere. There is a sauna on the territory of the camping – one more will appear. In general, bathing is very popular among the guests of the resort, and a lot of attention is paid to this: there is a spa center in the Radisson Resort, Zavidovo, a large bath complex in ZAVIDOVO SPA VILLAGE. And these projects quickly pay off.
Zavidovo also participates in equipping the beach on the river. “We will build two more pavilions there, with a hot shower, a medical room, shops, we will make family and sports zones there. The beach will not be free, but well equipped. It will be no worse there than in the Mediterranean,” Konstantin Zabrodin guarantees. There will be a system of discounts for hotel guests.
The water possibilities of the resort give a good start to river tourism. The river port, which is being built next to the resort at the mouth of the Shosha River, will receive the first motor ships this year. Guests of the resort will be able to go on river walks and excursions on the water to Tver and Dubna. “The distance from Yamskaya Sloboda to the port is about 1.5 km on foot. In the future, the port will be a sought-after point for organizing recreation both for our guests, including those who come to Yamskaya Sloboda, and for visiting tourists. Cognitive-excursion-view and gastro-routes will be in demand,” notes Konstantin Zabrodin.
And in a few years, guests of the resort will be able to have fun in the family recreation center. A huge water park with ultra-modern water attractions made in Canada will appear here, inside there will be areas for noisy children's recreation, and for quiet relaxation. The center will become one of the points of attraction for vacationers not only from nearby areas – Zavidovo is sure that tourists from distant cities will also come here, the demand for a comfortable stay with comfortable accommodation, delicious food and such extensive entertainment options is growing, and far from being able to offer it every Russian resort.
Large-scale prospects
Large-scale construction has been launched on the resort's embankment since December 2021. They had been waiting for it for a long time: documentation was being prepared, financial issues were being resolved. Support was provided by VEB.RF and Rostourism: construction is being carried out, among other things, thanks to a credit line provided by VEB.RF, moreover, at a preferential rate (under the Rostourism program). By 2024, the choice of hotels here will increase. Near the Radisson Resort, Zavidovo there will be a Mercure 4 * hotel with 300 rooms, two hotels (3 stars) with 640 rooms, an apart-hotel (3 stars) with 440 rooms. There are no analogues to such a grandiose project in Russia.
The economic difficulties that the country is now experiencing will not affect the work, they assure Zavidovo. Imported parts can be replaced with analogues from other countries, and a number of partners (in particular, Canada and Germany) retain their participation in the project.
By 2025, the Zavidovo resort will acquire a complete look and once again confirm its status as one of the best holiday destinations in Russia, successfully competing with foreign counterparts. The capacity of the resort will be 3.5-4 thousand seats – this is the figure at which the resort becomes a self-sufficient system. Last year, 450 thousand tourists rested in Zavidovo: 150 thousand of them stayed in hotels. The new hotels of the resort will give a jump in demand growth, the plans are to bring the figure to 1 million tourists a year.