This month, we get to know Montenegro Stars Hotels Group:

 

What was your motivation to join ICCA?

Our motivation to join ICCA stems from a deep commitment to positioning Montenegro and the Budva Riviera in particular, as a serious and competitive destination for international congresses, conventions, and association meetings. For years, Montenegro Stars Hotels Group has been steadily building the infrastructure, expertise, and service culture required to host world-class events. Joining ICCA felt like the natural next step - a formal declaration that we are ready to compete on the global stage.
We recognised that the meetings industry is about much more than just venues and hotel rooms. It is about being a part of a trusted network of professionals who share knowledge, set standards, and create opportunities for one another. ICCA membership gives us access to that community, as well as to valuable data, best practices, and relationships with international association executives who might otherwise never consider the Adriatic coast for their annual congresses.
We also feel a responsibility towards our destination. Montenegro is a young country with enormous potential. By joining ICCA, we are helping to place it on the map of global meetings destinations - not as a leisure curiosity, but as a credible and professionally managed host of international events. We want to contribute to the growth of the entire ecosystem: DMCs, PCOs, local suppliers and the tourism board. ICCA membership is our way of investing in that broader vision and signalling to the world that Montenegro Stars Hotels Group is not merely a regional hospitality company - we are a global meetings industry partner.

 

Tell us your story. How did your organisation get started?

Montenegro Stars Hotels Group was born from a vision of transforming the Budva Riviera into a premium, year-round hospitality destination. The story begins with Hotel Splendid Conference & Spa Resort - a landmark property on the shores of Bečići beach that immediately redefined luxury hospitality in the Western Balkans. With its striking architecture, panoramic Adriatic views, and a conference centre capable of hosting up to 900 delegates, Splendid was designed from the outset not only as a leisure resort, but also as a serious MICE venue.
Building on that foundation, Montenegro Stars Hotels Group grew steadily, adding properties that each brought a distinct character to the portfolio - from the boutique elegance of Hotel Blue Star to the family-friendly atmosphere of Hotel Montenegro Beach Resort.
Today, the group represents one of the most significant hospitality investments in Montenegro, employing hundreds of professionals and welcoming guests and delegates from across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. A particularly important milestone in our development was the establishment of our subsidiary, Montenegro Stars Management - a company that both participates in major hospitality investments and provides full-service hotel management to third-party properties. This expansion into management services clearly demonstrates how far our expertise has evolved: we are no longer simply hoteliers - we are trusted partners for owners and investors seeking operational excellence.
What has always driven us is the belief that Montenegro deserves world-class hospitality. We set out to prove this not by competing on price, but through quality, personalised service, and the extraordinary natural beauty surrounding every event we host. ICCA membership represents the latest and most meaningful chapter in that ongoing story.

 

What sets your organisation apart?

What truly sets Montenegro Stars Hotels Group apart is the rare combination of scale, setting, and sincerity of service that we bring to every event. Very few destinations in Europe can offer a 5-star beachfront conference resort with capacity for 900 delegates, a full-service spa, multiple dining concepts, and unobstructed sea views - all within a single property. Hotel Splendid delivers exactly that, and it does so in a destination that still retains a sense of discovery and exclusivity that more saturated markets simply cannot replicate.
However, infrastructure alone does not define us. What genuinely differentiates Montenegro Stars Hotels Group is our approach to event partnership. We do not simply sell meeting space and accommodation - we co-create experiences. Our dedicated MICE team works alongside clients from the earliest planning stages, drawing on extensive local knowledge to design programmes that immerse delegates in Montenegrin culture: private dinners on historic fortresses, boat excursions around the Bay of Kotor, traditional culinary workshops, and outdoor team-building experiences set against landscapes of exceptional beauty.
We also offer the advantages of a privately managed group: fast decision-making, genuine flexibility in customisation, and a level of personal accountability that international chains sometimes find difficult to match. When a client calls, they speak to someone with the actual authority to resolve their issues. That responsiveness builds trust, and trust is the foundation of every successful long-term event partnership.
Finally, we are committed to sustainability and responsible growth. Montenegro is a pristine destination, and we are determined to preserve it for our guests, the local community, and the next generation of event professionals who will choose this coast for their congresses.

 

What is your favorite success story from your organisation?

One of our proudest achievements was hosting in Hotel Splendid Conference & Spa Resort one of the largest international medical association congresses ever held in the Western Balkans – the EADV Congress. This multi-day event brought together over 1200 delegates from more than 40 countries. For many attendees, Montenegro was an entirely new destination, and the scepticism in the pre-event planning phase was palpable. Would the logistics run smoothly? Would the technical infrastructure meet the standards of a sophisticated international association? Would the destination inspire delegates rather than distract them?
The outcome exceeded every expectation. Plenary sessions in our main conference hall ran flawlessly, supported by our in-house AV team and a state-of-the-art simultaneous interpretation setup. The gala dinner on the hotel's sea-facing terrace, with the Adriatic sparkling beneath a summer sky, became the defining memory of the congress for hundreds of delegates. Post-event surveys ranked the overall experience among the highest the association had recorded in a decade of annual congresses.
Yet, the success story did not end with the closing ceremony. Three of the association board members who attended that congress returned to Montenegro within 18 months - two for private holidays, one to explore the destination for a future regional meeting. The congress also generated significant media coverage in several medical journals and travel publications, introducing Hotel Splendid and Montenegro to professional audiences that had never previously considered the destination.
For us, that is the ultimate success story: not only a flawlessly delivered event, but also a destination that won new advocates and a relationship with an international association that continues to grow.

 

Can you name a challenge your organisation is currently facing?

The market is experiencing a shift in client behaviour and booking patterns. Lead times are becoming shorter, while last-minute decision-making is more common than ever. This “late booking” trend has become a defining feature of today’s MICE environment, placing additional pressure on forecasting, operational planning, and revenue management. As a result, it requires greater agility, as well as increased flexibility in pricing, contracting, and space allocation. The ability to respond quickly and efficiently to fluctuating demand has therefore become a key competitive advantage.
At the same time, attracting, developing, and retaining talent remains one of the Group’s key strategic priorities. In an increasingly competitive labour market, the hospitality industry continues to face challenges in securing and retaining skilled professionals. Continuous training, development programmes, and clear career progression paths are essential for maintaining the high service standards associated with Hotel Splendid & Montenegro Stars Hotel Group. Human capital remains a key driver of service quality.
Evolving client expectations are adding further complexity to the MICE landscape. Clients increasingly seek personalised event solutions, stronger sustainability integration, and more immersive, experience-driven formats. Meeting these expectations requires continuous innovation in service delivery and event execution. Sustainability is also becoming a decisive factor in destination and supplier selection, requiring hotels to embed responsible practices into everyday operations.
While these challenges are significant, the Group views them as opportunities for growth. Through continuous investment in people, infrastructure, and industry partnerships such as ICCA, Montenegro Stars Hotel Group remains committed to strengthening its MICE positioning and contributing to Montenegro’s development as a competitive year-round conference and incentive destination.

 

What can we expect to see from your organisation in the future?

In the years ahead, Montenegro Stars Hotel Group, with Hotel Splendid Conference & Spa Resort as its flagship property, will continue to strengthen its position as one of Montenegro’s leading hospitality groups and an increasingly relevant player in the regional MICE and leisure market.
A key strategic priority is the expansion of our hotel portfolio. We are actively exploring opportunities through new developments and strategic acquisitions, with the goal of diversifying our offering across different hospitality segments. This will allow us to increase capacity, enhance the guest experience, and strengthen our market presence both locally and regionally.
At the same time, we remain committed to the continuous development of Hotel Splendid, our flagship MICE and luxury resort property. Ongoing investments in conference facilities, guest services, and digital infrastructure will ensure that we remain competitive internationally and continue to meet the evolving expectations of global clients.
Sustainability will remain at the heart of our long-term strategy. We are committed to embedding ESG principles throughout our operations, with a strong focus on energy efficiency and responsible resource management.
Through platforms such as ICCA, we look forward to building stronger relationships with global meeting planners, associations, and DMC partners, helping to attract year-round demand and support destination de-seasonalisation.
Digital transformation will also play an important role in our future development. By investing in smarter sales and marketing tools, data-driven decision-making, and enhanced guest experience technologies, we aim to better anticipate client needs.
Ultimately, our vision extends beyond business growth. We want to contribute to positioning Montenegro as a competitive and sustainable destination on the global MICE map, recognised not only for its natural beauty, but also for its reliability, professionalism, and ability to host world-class events