A Landmark Reborn on the Adriatic
When Hyatt Hotels Corporation chose Zadar for its first Croatian property, the decision spoke volumes — not just about the brand’s European ambitions, but about the extraordinary transformation underway in one of the Mediterranean’s most quietly compelling cities. Hyatt Regency Zadar, which opened in May 2025, is housed within the former Maraska factory, a landmark waterfront building that served for over a century as the headquarters and distillery of Croatia’s most famous cherry liqueur producer.
The Maraska building, originally constructed between 1911 and 1914 by the Italian distiller Michelangelo Luxardo, is an architectural icon of the Zadar waterfront. Its conversion into a five-star hotel has been entrusted to the Slovene-Italian architect Boris Podrecca, whose design philosophy preserves the monumentality of the original structure while introducing a contemporary counterpart. The result is what Podrecca describes as a Mediterranean Tripartite — old and new architecture connected in dialogue, each enhancing the other. It is a building that honours its past while embracing an entirely new purpose.
The investment comes from Doğuş Group, the Turkish conglomerate that has committed over 250 million euros to Croatia across hotels, marinas, and infrastructure — a long-term commitment that lends the project a seriousness beyond the typical hotel development.
The Rooms: Adriatic Light, Contemporary Comfort
The hotel offers 133 rooms and suites, including 23 suites, across configurations that range from intimate king rooms of thirty-two square metres to the expansive seventy-five-square-metre Zadar Suite, set beneath a charming mansard roof with views across the marina. Eighty-five rooms feature private balconies — a detail that transforms the experience of waking to the Adriatic.
The interior palette draws directly from Zadar’s celebrated sunsets — widely considered among the most beautiful in the world, as Alfred Hitchcock himself reportedly observed. Shades of gold, amber, and warm orange blend with the turquoise and emerald greens of the sea, creating rooms that feel luminous at every hour. The design by DeSallesFlint is refined without being austere: natural materials, clean lines, and sixty-five-inch smart televisions ensure that heritage aesthetics coexist with contemporary expectations.
The Dining: Where Dalmatia Meets the World
The culinary programme at Hyatt Regency Zadar is anchored by two distinct restaurants, each operating with a clear identity and genuine ambition.
Palm House occupies the heart of the hotel and serves as the primary dining destination. The concept reinterprets Dalmatian, Italian, and broader Adriatic cuisine with an emphasis on seasonality, simplicity, and the quality of local ingredients. Shared plates, regional wines, and artisanal preparations create a dining experience that feels rooted in place — a restaurant that could only exist in this city, on this coast. Guest reviews consistently single out Palm House for the quality of both food and service, with one Tripadvisor reviewer describing the experience simply as “a culinary delight.”
Fenix brings an entirely different energy. This lifestyle restaurant and bar fuses modern Asian and South American flavours — ceviche, tempura tiger prawns, duck wonton, bao buns with lamb ribs — within a vibrant tropical interior complemented by evening DJ sets. It is the kind of venue that transforms a hotel stay into a social experience, and its Adriatic-facing terrace, particularly at sunset, has already become one of Zadar’s most sought-after evening destinations.
Beyond the restaurants, Alfred’s Bar — named with a nod to Hitchcock’s famous admiration for the city’s sunsets — specialises in cocktails crafted with products from the region’s historic distilleries, while Estival provides a poolside day-club atmosphere during the summer months.
Lavanda Spa: The Adriatic Wellness Experience
The hotel’s Lavanda Spa extends across 1,155 square metres, making it one of the most comprehensive wellness facilities on the Croatian coast. Connected heated indoor and outdoor pools flow between spaces that include a traditional sauna, steam room, hammam, ice-plunge baths, hot tubs, and multiple treatment rooms.
The signature treatment is the Maraška body ritual — a fitting homage to the building’s heritage, inspired by Zadar’s famous marasca cherries that once filled these very halls. Additional treatments draw from Omorovicza, the Hungarian luxury skincare brand whose mineral-rich formulations complement the spa’s broader philosophy of natural, regionally inspired wellness. Advanced HydraFacial treatments round out the offering for guests seeking clinical-grade skincare alongside traditional relaxation.
The Location: A City Rediscovered
Zadar occupies a singular position among Adriatic destinations. It possesses the Roman and Venetian heritage of Split or Dubrovnik without the crushing summer crowds. Its UNESCO-listed Old Town — home to the Roman Forum, the ninth-century Church of St. Donatus, and the Romanesque Cathedral of St. Anastasia — is reached from the hotel in a twenty-minute waterfront walk or, more charmingly, by a two-euro ride on the small boat that crosses the harbour in minutes.
The city’s two most celebrated contemporary installations — the Sea Organ, which transforms wave energy into hauntingly beautiful music, and the Greeting to the Sun, a solar-powered light installation embedded in the waterfront promenade — sit within easy reach. Beyond the city, Zadar serves as the natural gateway to Croatia’s most spectacular national parks: Plitvice Lakes, Krka, Kornati, and Paklenica are all within comfortable day-trip range.
The hotel itself arranges curated experiences — from private sailing through the Zadar Archipelago with an eleven-course tasting menu prepared by a chef from a Michelin-starred restaurant, to winery tours through the Zadar hinterland and guided kayak expeditions on the Zrmanja River.
The Verdict
Hyatt Regency Zadar is that rare thing in contemporary hospitality: a hotel whose building tells a story as compelling as the service within it. The Maraska factory conversion — respectful, ambitious, beautifully executed — gives the property a depth of character that entirely new constructions struggle to achieve. The dining programme operates at a level that elevates the city’s gastronomic landscape. The spa genuinely impresses. And the location — poised between the ancient Old Town and the open Adriatic — is exceptional.
Under the direction of General Manager Valentin Roettger and the ownership commitment of Doğuš Group, this is a property that has been conceived not as a seasonal beach hotel but as a year-round destination. For travellers who know Croatia only through Dubrovnik and Split, Hyatt Regency Zadar offers an invitation to discover something quieter, more authentic, and increasingly essential.
Visit: hyatt.com/zadar | Instagram: @hyattregencyzadar
