International consulting firm Linser Hospitality has been engaged to develop the extensive health and wellness programming for the Kemeri Park project in Jurmula, Latvia.

The development includes both a five-star luxury hotel – set in a grand, historically significant building – and a four-star medical clinic situated a few hundred meters away, as well as a regeneration of the surrounding village into a wellness community.

Linser Hospitality will be responsible for everything from the analysis, to the positioning of the hotels, to all aspects of pre-opening. The five-star hotel is slated to open in 2018 with a 1,500sq m (16,146sq ft) spa, and the four-star clinic will follow soon after.

Latvian wellness consultancy Inbalans Group is also working on the project, together with Moscow-based international development company Griffin Partners and the Jurmula City Council.

Located within Latvia’s Kemeri National Park, the two hotels will be linked by a strong health and wellness theme, said Franz Linser, managing director of Linser Hospitality. He expects the destination spa to draw clientele from Russia, central Europe and the UK, where they can experience treatments based around Kemeri’s natural mineral waters and curative muds.

“We’ll merge the natural and curative treasures of Latvia to make it a health and wellness destination,” said Linser. “The location has a stunning forest surrounding it, and the nature, combined with the mud that you find there, makes it a very interesting area. Hopefully we’ll add considerable value to the surroundings.”

Kemeri has been a wellness destination since the 16th century. In the 19th century, as the curative properties of mineral waters and muds became well known, Russia’s Tsar Nikolai I opened the first state bathhouse institution in 1838, and in 1912, a direct railroad from Moscow to Kemeri was built, increasing the traffic to the town.

The five-star hotel was originally built in 1936 by Riga architect Eižens Laube as a symbol of Latvia’s first independence. Riga-based architect Martins Hermansons is heading up the restoration of the Art Nouveau building.

During Soviet times, the historic building was turned into a sanatorium and significantly expanded, before ceasing operations in the mid-90s after Latvia gained independence from the USSR.

“Our goal is not to restore the past, but to build on a strong base, looking into the future, analysing how we can create demand and appeal to tomorrow’s wellness travellers,” said Alla Sokolova, CEO and founder of Inbalans Group.

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