Galaxy Investment Group participated in the largest exhibition for real estate and investments in Europe – Expo Real 2017 for the fourth time. The event was held from October 4-6, 2017 in the city of Munich. The most discussed assets during the exhibition were office projects, hotels and industrial properties. The office market over the last years is driven mainly by IT and BPO industries and their growth along with positive attitudes of the representatives of the industry provides a stable base in this segment for the next years. The secondary locations like the city of Plovdiv are appreciated positively too. Office Park Plovdiv was perceived as an excellent investment opportunity located in dynamic and fast-growing market, preferred investment destination of high-tech and BPO sectors. Sofia Business Tower was characterized as a good opportunity for entry into the office market by foreign institutional investors looking for major projects on top location for business buildings such as Tsarigradsko shose. Тhere was a strong interest towards hotel assets too. „The real estate market in Bulgarian capital has been extremely dynamic over the last 2 years dominated by Bulgarian participants with regards both to property and management. Despite the limited share of international hotel brands in the country there is an interest shown by them for opening of new hotels and for banding of existing ones”’ commented Konstantin Boyadzhiev, CEO of Galaxy Investment Group. According to him this is due to the acceleration of the urban tourism in the city of Sofia, and the catalyst of this process is the expansion of low-cost airlines form one side, and the fact that the Bulgarian capital is gaining popularity as a desirable weekend getaway destination from the other side. “I expect the development trend of the hotel industry to remain, which will make the business more profitable and will lead to more international players entering it” commented Boyadzhiev. Expo Real is the Europe’s largest real estate and investment exhibition in Europe. On an area of 64 000 m², 1 800 exhibitors and 39 000 participants from whole spectrum of the real estate business were presented: investors, financiers, designers, and project managers, architects, representatives of cities and economic regions.

Mr. Boyadzhiev, what are the trends in modern city hotels in Bulgaria and in the world, how do customers and hotel facilities change? I can boldly say that in terms of modern urban hotels, Bulgaria is positioned in the high segment with regards to their material and technical condition. There is still room for improvement in the level of service, but it is a complex challenge, driven by the level of staff. The trend in urban hotels is to increase staff qualification and the goal - to improve service and align with the best international practices and levels. The hotel business in the country is increasingly looking for ways to introduce modern technologies to make search, booking and service processes more intuitive and comfortable. An example of such technologies are the introduction of smart applications, virtual reception and smart infrastructure in the rooms. Customers are now more informed, have easy access to a large amount of information, and have the opportunity to quickly receive reviews and to comment. And all this is easily visible through social networks and tourist platforms. This makes them not only active participants in the hotel services market, but also a major factor for its existence. Hoteliers on their part should have a topical online presence, actively seek feedback from customers and to take care at any moment for them to be satisfied. What is the state of the current hotel market in the capital and how do you assess the trends? The capital market has been extremely dynamic over the past two years, dominated by Bulgarian participants with regards both to property and management. Despite the limited share of international chains in the country, there is an interest shown by them for opening new hotels and for branding existing ones. This is due to the acceleration of urban tourism in Sofia. In addition to traditional business trips, the Bulgarian capital is gaining popularity as a desirable destination for foreigners for the weekend, the so called city breaks. Catalyst of this process is the expansion of low-cost airlines, which for the last two years have increased a lot their flights to and from Sofia. Moreover, according to the national statistics for May two thirds of foreign tourists in the country prefer luxury hotels. The hotels with four or five stars accounted for 79.7% of the total number of nights spent by foreigners in May. I expect the development trend of the hotel industry to remain, which will make the business more profitable and will lead to more international participants entering it. Can we recall the participation of Galaxy Investment Group in Bulgaria's hotel market, the deals, investments and development plans? What is your forecast for the development of the sector in the near and medium term? Is there a chance for new entrants such as Hyatt Regency to enter new deals? Galaxy Investment Group Ltd. has many years of experience in attracting recognized world brands in the tourism sector. Our portfolio includes both Barcelo Royal Beach and Majestic Beach Resort as well as Hilton Sofia and Radisson Blu. Upon completion of the reconstruction and renovation of the last hotel, its management will be taken over by InterContinental, which will enter Bulgaria for the first time. Our forecast is that the trend of positive development of the urban hotels sector in Sofia will be maintained. As I mentioned, this is due to both the improved business climate in the country and the opening of new destinations by airlines such as RyanAir and WizzAir. The presidency of Bulgaria in the EU next year will further promote Sofia as a top business and tourist destination. During this period Sofia will be visited by a large number of guests from the European institutions and their families, most of whom will be people who come to the country for the first time. If the steady trend of growth in employment and revenue is preserved, in the next few years there will be an opportunity for new entrants in the market of 4- and 5-star hotels in Sofia. What are the main parameters of IHG Sofia and Hilton Sofia as indicators of the hotels? What is their business segment and target customer group? In the hotel business, the most important measurable indicators are occupancy, average cost, and RevPAR (available room revenue). With regard to these indexes as owners, we can say that Radisson Blu and Hilton Sofia traditionally occupy the top positions in the urban hotels sector in Sofia. We manage to steadily achieve growth in all three indicators with each successive year. The target customer group of both hotels is similar: individual business guests, corporate customers, tour groups, long-stay guests in the destination, and more. Can we specify the architectural, design and functional requirements of the IHG and Hilton chains? International hotel chains have very clear requirements and a consistent approach to their implementation. First of all, ensuring the safety and security of our guests is integrated into every part of the projects they work on. The next highest importance is the high comfort of the visitors and the operative organization of the sites so that they are as functional as possible. As a final stage, everything listed is dressed in the most up-to-date trends in design and vision, looking ahead at least at the next 10 years. Source: The City Magazine

Royal Garden is the latest closed-type project by Galaxy Investment Group in the city of Plovdiv. It is characterized by modern architecture, spacious apartments and wonderful panoramic views of the Youth Hill and the Rhodope Mountains. In October this year, the investor company will turn the first sod of the project designed for people looking for a comfortable and sophisticated lifestyle in a green environment. Royal Garden Residential Park is located in the Recreation and Culture quarter, which thanks to its location, newly built infrastructure and park areas offers high quality of life. Within walking distance, you will find the Rowing canal, Mall Plovdiv, and modern sports facilities and some of the best children's centres and schools in the neighbourhood. The project includes two Г-shaped residential buildings. Their position is in harmony with each other to create an air-conditioned internal space. Buildings are painted in light and calming earth tones, making it easier for them to fit in the environment. Royal Garden Residential Park has 118 spacious and functional apartments of different types with excellent floor-plans. The rooms have regular structure suitable for a variety of interior solutions. The height of the rooms is 2.85m. The search of optimum sunshine of the apartments has led to the specific for the architecture of the buildings designed loggias and the protruding glass parts. Extensive terraces provide wonderful views of the Youth Hill and the Rhodope Mountains. Living rooms have the best exposition. Royal Garden offers a number of services and amenities. A beautiful and extensive garden is designed at Royal Garden. The plant species in it are specially selected to provide freshness throughout the year. The residential park will have in total 167 underground parkings and garages. For the security of its inhabitants, Royal Garden will have controlled access and video surveillance. A dedicated team will be involved in maintenance of common areas and the garden. It is also possible to furnish apartments according to a predefined design. Visit the website of Royal Garden: https://royalgarden.bg/en 

From 4 to 6 October, 2017, Munich, Germany. Galaxy Investment Group will present its portfolio and attractive investment opportunities at the 20th International specialized exhibition for real estate and investment projects, EXPO REAL, from 4 to 6 October, 2017 in the city of Munich, Germany.  This will be the fourth participation of the company at a booth organized by the RepOffice of the Munich Trade Fair for Bulgaria to GBCIC / German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce /, located in Hall A1, booth A1.012.  EXPO REAL is Europe's largest real estate and investment trade fair. 1,800   exhibitors and 39,000 participants on an area of 64,000 m² will be presented from the whole spectrum of the real estate business: investors and financiers, designers and project managers, consultants and brokers, property managers, architects and representatives of cities and economic regions.

The forum Industrial Archeology – the Live City in the Context of Modern Concepts on Cultural Heritage in Plovdiv was held on 20 June 2017 by the initiative of Plovdiv 2019 Foundation and hosted by Galaxy Investment Group. The good European examples how business, local authority and industrial sector are in partnership in the operation of old industrial buildings were presented at a discussion on the future of the Tobacco City. „Exposing the archaeological heritage is an important topic because it makes part of the authenticity of a city. We see that Plovdiv is increasingly becoming a center for both business and art and culture. That's why we are sure that each company deciding to work here needs to engage in the challenges of the city and to do its best in order to contribute to its development. Our cultural heritage and the way we preserve and add value to it are key factors in defining Plovdiv as an attractive place to live, work and visit”, commented the manager of the host company Konstantin Boyadzhiev. Galaxy Investment Group is the first big investor in the Tobacco City to open its doors for such a discussion. A speaker of the event was Emanuele Kurti - archeologist and cultural manager from Matera - Italy. He shared some examples of successful exploitation of antique buildings in Italy. For example, in Rome, the abandoned building of an old railway station is exploited, which has become a modern market for local products with restaurants. The public library in Bologna is back to a new life, and an unusable cinema in Milan brings together tourists and guests of the city. In the city of Schio, a fabric factory is used both for offices, residence and for holding exhibitions and events, the expert illustrated. These are just a few examples of buildings where business, culture, history and art coexist and develop in parallel. Cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, is a valuable resource for economic growth, employment and social development, and a driver for the cultural and creative industries, the hosts and the organizers of the discussion agreed.

On 12 and 13 June 2017 in Vienna was held the International Real Estate Forum CEE GRI 2017. In its 12th edition investors, developers and professionals discussed the trends and challenges in different segments of real estate in Central and Eastern European markets. Konstantin Boyadzhiev, CEO of Galaxy Investment Group, participated in the discussion "Hotels in CEE/SEE - What could possibly go wrong?", where he talked about perspectives and opportunities in the development of projects focused on the high segment, and emphasized on the potential of Bulgaria as a part of the Southeastern European market. In the different panels of the two-day program were discussed various topics, related to the investments in the different areas of the property sector.