Real estate developer Grand Development, founded and coordinated by Ionuț Nicolescu, closed a partnership with Radisson Hotel Group to open a five-star villa resort near the popular mountain city of Brașov under the upper-scale Radisson Blu brand. The opening date was set for the last quarter of 2026. 

Radisson Blu Grand Mountain Resort is already under construction on a 2.6-hectare mountain meadow near Brașov, in the immediate vicinity of a secular forest in the Carpathian Mountains, the developer said.

The project will comprise 46 Scandinavian chalet-style villas, both individual and joined, with large spaces, premium amenities, and multiple individual facilities, plus 20 hotel rooms, all with a five-star rating. It will also include an open-kitchen restaurant, a spa center with an interior pool, a wellness and fitness center, several conference rooms, and parking spaces.

“We see immense potential in the Romanian market. […] This new and unique Radisson Blu resort in such a sought-after mountain destination is the perfect addition to our existing portfolio in Romania and will give our guests a great variety of options,” said David Jenkins, Vice President of Business Development at Radisson Hotel Group.

Together with Ionuț Nicolescu, real estate consultant Cremona Maria-Andrei is co-owner of Grand Development, after over 15 years of experience in the local residential market. She previously advised projects with 20,000+ homes and brokered the transaction of over 6,000 new homes. In total, Cremona managed benchmark projects in Bucharest, Brașov, and Constanța with a total value of over EUR 500 million. 

Alexandru Boghiu, founding partner of Mavers Wealth Management, a venture capital firm focused on supporting exceptional entrepreneurs in the digital sectors, was also co-opted into the development team. With 20 years of experience in investment advisory and control services, he has honed his expertise at companies such as PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Contrast Management Consultants, and CBRE.

Grand Development also benefited from the support of Mircea Draghici, managing partner at Est Hospitality and one of the most experienced consultants in the hospitality industry, with over 20 years of experience in the profile market. Draghici is the first Romanian graduate of the MBA program at Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne (2007).

Grand Development was advised in terms of legal aspects by Constantinof & Asociații law firm.

Radisson Blu is an upper-upscale hotel brand. In Romania, there are three Radisson Blu hotels in Bucharest, Brașov, and Cluj-Napoca. 

In total, the Radisson Hotel Group has 7 hotels with 1,657 rooms in operation or under development in Romania under the Park Inn by Radisson, Radisson, and Radisson Blu brands.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: the company)