Wellness in St. Petersburg: how the leisure industry is changing according to consumer requests
Photo by: Mikhail Tikhonov
Consumer demands are growing in all areas – and the quality of leisure is no exception. Here, too, new patterns of behavior appear. It is not without reason that since 2022, the interest of real estate buyers and tenants in recreational apartments has been increasing. And an obvious continuation of the trend in a competitive market is the evolution of the product.
“At the end of 2023, there is an increase in sales of recreational apartments against the background of stagnation in other types of apartments, including service ones,” says partner, head of the research and consulting department of IPG.Estate Valery Trushin. “Despite the small share of the entire segment of apart-hotels, the recreational niche is of high interest due to the possibility of considering them both as an investment asset and as a resort property for one’s own needs. Daily rental of such an asset is also highly profitable, taking into account the seasonality factor and the high demand for country real estate in the summer.”
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However, first of all, it is purchased for one’s own residence, permanent or temporary, notes NF Group partner Olga Shirokova. “As of April 2024, there are 4 complexes on the primary market of resort apartments in St. Petersburg, all of them are located in the Kurortny district, and belong to non-service format apartments. At the end of the first quarter of 2024, the weighted average price of lots in them was 390 thousand rubles per 1 m2,” the expert clarifies.
At the same time, the market is looking for new locations and new functionality, says Evgeniy Chemodurov, head of the Partapart.ru portal. “We expect the emergence of out-of-town investment apartment complexes where you can get quality recreation and wellness treatments. Existing traditional hotels in the Kurortny district are often already obsolete, but even with a high price tag they are busy almost all year round with vacationers from our city, corporate clients and even foreign tourists in the high season. And there are no good affordable holidays at all. Interesting concepts are simply needed there,” he adds. Moreover, considering that even with the high potential of the segment, the stability of demand remains an issue to be worked out – regardless of the season, Valery Trushin emphasizes.
And the market is already preparing an answer. Thus, in the Kurortny district by 2026 there will be a striking example of an evolutionary approach to the integrated development of the format of club residences: when within the boundaries of one location there will be recreational apartments and a multifunctional public space with a SPA center, a gourmet restaurant, equipped recreation areas and access to the water on the embankment Southern Vodoslivny Canal. And “DP” is confident that such a concept is worthy of the “Project of the Year” award.
To each his own relaxation
The creation of such a recreational cluster in Sestroretsk was undertaken by the Element Development company. The first object – the apart-complex “Bereg. Resort” – will be put into operation at the end of spring 2024. The remaining elements of the general concept will be added gradually, and the idea will be fully implemented at the beginning of the summer season of 2025. An important point: apartment guests will have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the adjacent space – but at the same time the privacy of the complex will be preserved.
“Bereg. Resort” is implemented in the format of club residences – there are 715 units, from studios to three-room proposals. The architecture of the complex is organically integrated into the surroundings – and this is the Gagarka forest park, known for the presence of species listed in the Red Book, the Dubki park, included in the World Heritage List in the category “Historical Center of St. Petersburg and its Suburbs”, and the Gulf of Finland 300 meters away. What is taken into account in the location of the buildings, which increases the view characteristics of the apartments. Low-rise buildings have light, ventilated facades, large windows and spacious balconies. Some apartments on the ground floors have private patio terraces. This solution not only harmonizes with the natural landscape, but also increases the level of psychological comfort for future residents.
Regarding more mundane things, within the boundaries of the apartment complex there are infrastructure facilities designed for different interests and ages of residents: there are commercial premises for various types of services, a private swimming pool with a gym and sauna, a spacious lobby and concierge service. There will also be additional exits from the complex to the Gagarka forest park. In addition, an exclusive improvement project for the embankment adjacent to the complex has been developed. There will be gazebos for barbecues, places for relaxation, and a system of wooden decking with a descent to the water will allow you to comfortably fish or engage in SUP surfing.
As for the public space, which will be located opposite the buildings with apartments, the developer has recently begun the final stage of coordinating the concept. However, it is already known for sure that this will be an all-season resort, where there will be a multifunctional SPA complex with year-round indoor and outdoor sports pools, a hammam, saunas, a hydrothermal unit, gyms, a herbal bar, and a beauty studio. In addition, the project will include two bathhouse complexes, leisure areas, a children’s creativity center and a gastronomic space, including haute cuisine. Guests will have access to a landscaped promenade. As “DP” already wrote, an area of 2.5 hectares is allocated for the resort.
This idea is very timely, experts say. “The Sestroretsk direction has traditionally been considered a place of relaxation, not only for St. Petersburg residents, but also for the entire North-Western region. Demand for hotels in the summer season has always exceeded supply, especially on weekends. The presence of SPA resorts, and especially high-quality wellness programs, has every chance be in demand not only in the summer, but all year round. The demand for “modern wellness” will only grow, as exemplified by the state of Qatar, which has taken the vector of developing the wellness destination in Er-Ruwais,” says Nikolay Pertsev, executive director of the Regnum travel agency network. .
Such points of attraction provide new opportunities for the development of a location. And, of course, they increase the attractiveness of the latter for investors.
For both guests and residents
In recent years, many positive changes have taken place in Sestroretsk. Thus, on City Day, the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, Alexander Belsky, in his congratulations to the municipality, listed a number of the most significant implemented projects: improvement of the Officer and Sestroretsky beaches, construction of the Severny sports complex and an extreme park, etc.
Also, by October 2024, work on the improvement of the area near the Severny beach, where various areas for physical activity and recreation will appear, should be completed. The plans include the construction of another sports and recreation complex, an order to prepare a territory planning project for which the Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture of St. Petersburg gave the other day. At the initiative of residents, many new public spaces are being created here as part of the “Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment” project.
Educational institutions are being built in the city and healthcare facilities are being developed. And, as the example above clearly demonstrates, new resorts are appearing. By the way, according to the new General Plan of St. Petersburg, next to the Bereg. Kurortny complex, a bridge will be built across the Southern Drainage Canal, which will connect the Gagarka forest park and the Dubki park.
In addition, in August 2023, negotiations began between the government of St. Petersburg, JSC Russian Railways and the North-Western Suburban Passenger Company on the possibility of launching clocked train service to Sestroretsk. According to the city administration, with the beginning of the high season, the population here increases 2-3 times due to summer residents, and “tens of thousands of vacationers” come to the beaches in the summer.
Those who today want to get a higher level of comfort, experts in the hotel industry are convinced. Therefore, for new projects in locations such as Sestroretsk, infrastructure thought out to the smallest detail is important, notes Olga Morozova, head of the shared construction department of Advex. Real Estate Group of Companies. Especially if you attract not just domestic, but local tourists. “Business class housing, swimming pools, SPA, a well-groomed and large enclosed area – something that will be interesting for residents of the city, where since Tsarist times it has been customary to get out of town for the summer,” the expert sums up.
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