Davor Kovčalija: Classic luxury is predictable, Curio Collection offers a unique character and story

The cradle of Croatian tourism is richer for a new icon of contemporary luxury that brings a fantastic blend of global prestige and local charm. Located in the heart of Opatija, in the immediate vicinity of historical parks and the sea, Hotel Keight attracts attention with its impressive architecture designed by the renowned domestic studio 3LHD. 

As the first hotel in Croatia from Hilton's exclusive Curio Collection line, Keight brings a completely new vacation concept in which impeccable design meets an authentic Mediterranean ambiance.

The biggest gem of this designer building is hidden at the very top - spectacular roof terrace with pool and bar which offers a panoramic view of the Kvarner Bay and the rooftops of Opatija, creating a beautiful oasis for guests to relax. 

With a refined gastronomic experience at the Pierrot bistro, which celebrates local ingredients, as well as a modern wellness center with an indoor pool, this hotel is not just a place to stay, but becomes a destination in itself, tailored for modern travelers in search of unique stories and superior comfort.

Different stories under the same brand

To gain a deeper insight into the business of this entity, we spoke with Davor Kovčalija, a successful young manager who heads the Keight Hotel Opatija, and under whose leadership the hotel won the prestigious Hilton Connie Award.

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He has been running the hotel since its opening in 2024, and since December 2025 he has also taken over the management of the Hotel Preko on Ugljan. Today, as Cluster Manager, he is running two different stories under the same brand in parallel.

"Curio Collection is a Hilton brand that consciously gives hotels more freedom than classic flagship brands. The standards we must respect relate to safety, quality of service, operational processes - that is, to the things that guests expect, regardless of where they stay. But the design, the gastronomic story, the choice of local partners, the atmosphere - this is mostly our decision", begins Kovčalija. 

In practice, this means they can work with local suppliers, design semen around the season and the end, choose artwork and design elements that tell the story of the place.

He believes that they have used this autonomy in the best possible way in both Opatija and Preko - both hotels bear the recognizable Curio stamp, and yet each tells its own, completely different story of the place it is located in. This balance - a global reservation system and reliability, local spirit, experiences - is the essence of the Curio Collection.

"I have been in tourism practically my whole life - I started at the age of 16, in the second year of the Hotel and Tourism School in Opatija, as a scholarship holder of a renowned hotel company in Opatija. Since then, every summer during school and studies, I have worked in hotels in various positions - from operations up, which gave me the opportunity to get to know the business from the inside.”, he recalls his first professional steps. 

After high school, Kovčalija continued his education at the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Opatija, where he further developed what he had learned in practice. Before Hilton, he worked for two well-known hotel chains - Amadria Park and Liburnia Riviera Hotels - which gave him a broad insight into how different systems and standards function in practice. 

Lifestyle vs. Traditional luxury

One of the topics we touched on was what the transition from "marble and gold" to authenticity looks like in practice, what does a guest get at the Curio Collection, and what has somehow become uninteresting to them in a classic five-star hotel?

"This shift is real and we experience it every day - lifestyle hotels are now one of the fastest growing segments in tourism, and Curio Collection is one of the fastest growing brands within the entire Hilton group, which best shows that guests are really looking for this kind of shift. Classic luxury is pleasant but predictable for guests today - they know exactly what they will get, and for this very reason it is no longer attractive to them.", he replies.

Curio Collection takes the opposite path: instead of being stuffy, the guest gets a hotel that has character and a story - a design that speaks of the place it is located in, gastronomy that is not universal but local, staff that approaches the guest sincerely and with care, and not according to a predetermined script. 

"At Hotel Keight, for example, we hired local designers who, through certain segments of the hotel - the restaurant, wallpaper and interior details - literally 'woven' the beauty of Opatija into the space, so that the guest gets to know the destination through the hotel's visual identity.”, he describes. 

On Ugljan, the story is different - there they are very connected with local OPGs, with whom they collaborate in almost all departments, from F&B, through wellness, to the reception, so that the guest feels this collaboration at every step of their stay, not just at the table. Today's guest does not ask to be impressed with gold, he points out, "but to feel that they are in a specific place, not just anywhere."

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What does new technology bring?

Our next question was about the balance between high personalization and the operational efficiency of a large system: is "refined" luxury definitely a thing of the past?

"Yes, ostentatious luxury is definitely a thing of the past, but balance is a real daily challenge. A large system like Hilton gives us standards, processes and technology that allow for consistency - and without consistency there is no reliability, which the guest also seeks, especially one who travels on the Honors program and knows what to expect at every Hilton hotel in the world.", Kovčalija replies. 

But within that framework, there is enough room for personalization: less through strict standardized procedures, and more through the team recognizing the guest and his habits and reacting spontaneously, not according to a predetermined pattern. 

"In practical terms, this means that standards provide a safety net for operational excellence, and a local team gives soul to the experience. One doesn't work without the other - pure personalization without a system leads to inconsistency, and pure system without people leads to coldness.", he emphasizes. The question of the role of technology, AI agents and guest profiling through CRM naturally arose as the next.

"Today, technology is a tool for better personalization, not a substitute for it. Through Hilton's CRM and guest profiling, we have insight into preferences, stay history, booking method - and this allows us to welcome the guest with information, rather than 'meeting' them anew each time at the reception desk", he replies. 

AI agents are the next logical step — not as a replacement for human contact, he says, but as a tool that processes vast amounts of data about a guest, and suggests to staff how to please them, before the guest even makes a request. He sees it as a background assistant: the guest is still talking to a human, but that human is better prepared because the technology has given them the right context at the right time. 

"I am particularly pleased that, in the case of both hotels, although they have only been in operation for a little over two years, we already have a lot of regular, repeat guests - and for me, that is the best indicator that we are on the right track, because a guest only returns when he feels that he is truly recognized and remembered.", Kovčalija points out what the essence of hospitality is.

Destination branding and synergy with the local

We were also interested in how Hilton's projects in Opatija and Ugljan have redefined the perception of these places and whether a branded hotel can encourage a destination to evolve faster.

"I absolutely agree with the thesis that the reason for coming is increasingly the destination, not the bed - but a branded hotel can be a catalyst that accelerates this evolution. The arrival of a recognizable international brand raises the bar of expectations for the entire destination - among suppliers, local authorities, other caterers, and even the guest who now knows that the place is 'worth checking out', as the saying goes.", our interlocutor answers. 

In Opatija, they see this specifically through the structure of guests - since Hotel Keight opened, they have noticed a significantly higher number of American guests, which has not been a common case for Opatija, and it is Hilton's global distribution channel and brand recognition that first brought this guest onto their radar. 

On Ugljan, the story is even more pronounced - Hotel Preko has literally pushed the destination towards the premium segment. The island, which until recently was recognized as a quiet, simpler option, is now increasingly attracting a more demanding guest, and it is visible that this is gradually pulling the rest of the local offer upwards. But one hotel cannot carry the destination alone - it can open its doors, but the rest has to come from the community and local government, he concludes.

Opatija 365

At one point, the conversation turned to the topic of Opatija as a year-round destination and the question of what it might be missing to achieve this.

"I would say that Opatija is actually already alive 12 months a year - we are recognized as a strong congress destination, which gives us a strong base outside the summer months. In addition, due to its location, it is an ideal city break destination - easily accessible and suitable for a short vacation, which we especially recognize outside the summer months through the increasing number of domestic guests for whom Opatija has become a favorite weekend getaway destination.", was his comment.

In addition to all this, Opatija also has all the natural and historical prerequisites for a full year-round story - a microclimate, a park promenade, a wellness heritage dating back to the 19th century. It is precisely in this wellness and health tourism that we should all become even more active - not by chance, because it is on this story that Opatija began to build its tourism, so it seems natural to return to it and strengthen it for the modern guest, she believes. 

"In addition, it has clearly been shown that events like Retro Opatija or Chocolate Days are becoming a concrete motive for guests to come, not just an accompanying content - so I think that all of us in the destination should have a common goal of increasing the number and quality of such events throughout the year, because it is through them that Opatija is most easily filled outside the main season.", Kovčalija appeals, emphasizing once again that this city already lives for a good part of the year. He reminds us of the beautiful Advent by the sea, which in itself has become a strong motive for coming out of season. 

"I see the biggest remaining gap in the density of content outside of July and August - a hotel can offer top-notch accommodation, gastronomy and wellness every day of the year, but a guest who leaves the hotel outside the main season sometimes has a smaller choice of experiences in the city itself than they could have. I do not mention this as a criticism, but as an opportunity for synergy - the denser the city's cultural, gastronomic and event calendar throughout the year, the more the hotel and city offer will grow and complement each other.", he is convinced.

The impact of Hilton's distribution channel on Ugljan

The question then arose as to how much of the year-round business on Ugljan is the result of the strength of Hilton's distribution channel, and how much of it is the hotel's offering itself, and whether the hotel depends on the destination or is it a destination in itself?

"Year-round business on the island is a combination of the above, but I would say that the ratio is still skewed towards the hotel's offer. Hilton's distribution channel and Honors program bring us guests even in the off-season because that guest travels according to the loyalty program, and not exclusively for the destination attraction of the summer. But that guest only comes if we offer them the right reason to come in the winter - wellness, gastronomy, peace, authentic island rhythm”, he illustrates.

In the first year of business, they have already recorded a good number of conferences and seminars, both domestic and foreign, they have held several weddings and organized Advent in Preko - which shows that the interest is real and that it is not a coincidence. Therefore, they believe that it will only grow year after year in this area. 

"In this sense, the hotel on Ugljan partially becomes its own 'microdestination' - it does not replace the island, but allows guests to come even when the rest of the island's offer is asleep. In the long run, this is also the best scenario for the destination itself, because a hotel that is open all year round keeps employment and the local economy alive outside the three summer months.", emphasizes Kovčalija.

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The power of Hilton Honors and loyalty

We were also interested in what percentage of guests come solely because of the loyalty program and how does a brand like Curia use these benefits without losing its individuality?

"A significant share of our guests come through Hilton Honors - in both Opatija and Ugljan, the first guests were members of the program, which is no coincidence considering that Hilton Honors now has more than 250 million members worldwide, and a large portion of them are always looking for the opportunity to try a new hotel and a new experience within the system they trust.", he replies. He adds that this is a huge advantage for a newly opened hotel in a lesser-known location.

"We have the guest from day one, without having to first 'build' the destination in their minds. We preserve individuality by viewing Honors as infrastructure, not identity: the system brings the guest to us and rewards them with points and status, but what the guest experiences in the hotel - design, gastronomy, the story of the place - remains an authentic Curio experience.", explains Kovčalija. Our question followed: is loyalty a stronger currency today than the location of the hotel itself?

"I would say that loyalty today is as strong a currency as location, perhaps even stronger in the beginning - it brings the guest in for the first time, as has been shown in our country, where the first guests in both Opatija and Ugljan were Hilton Honors members.", he replies. 

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The loyalty program is increasingly becoming a major sales channel because it brings valuable data and a direct connection with the guest, bypassing intermediaries. Through Hilton's systems, they communicate with the guest even before arrival, and after departure, the guest fills out a questionnaire through which they receive valuable feedback - so that the relationship with the guest does not begin at the reception or end at check-out, but lasts throughout the entire cycle, from reservation to return. For them as hoteliers, this is extremely valuable because it reduces dependence on external platforms and returns the focus to the direct relationship with the guest.

"The key is that we perceive Honors as an 'engine' that brings the guest, and not as a style with which we welcome them. Once a guest crosses the threshold of the hotel, they are in Keight or on Prek, not in a generic Hilton - and we consciously nurture this difference through design, local gastronomy and the story of the place, while the system in the background takes care of reservations, points and status”, comments on the theme of the Curio brand in terms of using Hilton Honors benefits, without the facility being 'just another Hilton in a row'.

The importance of technology in the hospitality industry

Regarding thoughts on the development of automation and artificial intelligence in tourism, we were interested in, among other things, whether we can soon expect robots in hotel operations?

Robotics, he believes, will certainly find its place, but he also believes that it will first enter background and repetitive processes - logistics within the hotel and part of cleaning and maintenance - rather than guest-facing roles. Artificial intelligence will develop faster and more visibly through administration, personalization and prediction of guest needs, price optimization and operational planning, he is convinced. 

"Realistically, a guest in the hospitality industry still wants human contact, and I personally believe that a smile is still the key to success in this business - something that neither robotics nor AI will ever be able to replace. Technology will likely free up our time and resources from administrative tasks so that staff can focus more on what guests value most - real human interaction.", concludes Davor Kovčalija, a young but already extremely successful manager who effectively realizes visions and confidently sets new standards in the profession.

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