The second phase of investments made in the resort of Jasná started with construction of a new Funitel cable car, an automated Twinliner funicular and a 15-people gondola cable car; and was followed by the renovation of the Rotunda restaurant. Rotunda, i.e. the upper station of the Funitel cable car connected with the upper cable car station Chopok South will serve tourists for relaxation and shelter in bad weather. All new projects related to the stations and the Rotunda restaurant were carried out on the same place where the old restaurant used to stand. The new one is just more spacious and more comfortable, which is the result of an increasing cable car transport capacity. Rotunda should be open officially in the winter, while all elements planned to be used will depend on weather. “The new building with stations and the Rotunda restaurant on the top of Mt. Chopok has the same, timeless philosophy and layout as the old one. It was already in the 1950´s, when passengers could change between transport facilities on the northern and southern side of Mt. Chopok in all comfort, with “dry boots” even in bad weather,“ said Ján Štetka, director of the resort Chopok North.
The scenic restaurant with an exclusive 360 degree panorama view at the altitude of 2,004 m will have a capacity of 100 seats. Visitors will enjoy unique scenery from the highest located Rum Bar with various rum kinds and desserts on the menu. On the ground floor of the Rotunda building, there will be an Energy Bar with 60 seats offering refreshment. Accommodation should be similar to the Dedo suite on the top of Lomnický štít (peak). Rotunda will have 3 rooms of the highest standard and 2 rooms of lower sports standard, with a separate reception and sanitary facilities. When compared to the past, there will be large terrace soaking up the sun, with 200 seating places, located above the upper cable car station on the southern side. The investments will reach 4.5 mil. EUR in total.
Comfort for skiers will be guaranteed again! A new 6-seater chairlift in the locality of Lúčky with a new entrance area of the resort of Jasná, located next to a car park, will enable skiers to enter the slopes in all comfort. A new car park Lúčky with 350 parking places will thus be a ski-in /ski-out one. The lower station of a new chairlift made by the Leitner company will be located at the altitude of 944 m, the upper station at the altitude of 1,287 m.
The transport capacity of 2,460 people/hour will make it the only cableway with blue bubbles in the Low Tatras, where the ride to the upper station will take 6 minutes and 16 seconds. The main function of the 7 mil. EUR chairlift is to transport skiers to the popular ski slope of Turistická. This winter, the resort will offer a revolutionary online ski pass sale. Skiers will save time, won´t have to queue anymore and can set out for the slopes right after they get off their cars. “This payment system is new even in the best ski resorts of the world, such as Whistler (USA), Are (Sweden) and Laax (Switzerland). Slovak ski resorts will thus overtake many others, even those in the Alps,“ said Sylvia Artzová, brand manager of the resort of Jasná.
Another change that is prepared for the upcoming season is related to the slope of Turistická. It should be joined to the slope in the direction of Lúčky. A new blue slope called “Lúčky“, 1.2 kilometres long, is ideal for less demanding skiers and families with children. The construction will cost 230,000 EUR. In the new entrance area in the locality of Lúčky, there will be a new Aprés-ski bar, a ticket office and a ski rental. The phase of last year´s investments made on Mt. Chopok will end as soon as the lower and upper cableway station is given a new casing. And there will be a new entrance area on the southern side of Mt. Chopok, with a large car park “Krupová”, offering 520 parking places.
However, it is not only this why the level of services in the whole resort of Jasná has been increasing. There are also 11 trendy Tatry Motion shops, 8 ski rentals, the biggest ski school and 3 Maxiland arenas for children. Conference tourism in the region of Liptov has something new to offer too – a glass conference room at the Wellness Hotel Grand Jasná**** with a capacity of 350 seats and a unique view of Mt. Chopok.
6 new Chalets de Luxe will be built in the area of Záhradky, the attractive “a la carte“ Von Roll restaurant on the northern side of Mt. Chopok will get refurbished. The mountain Srdiečko Hotel*** located on the southern side of the second highest peak of the Low Tatras, Mt. Chopok, will get a new look as well. The reception with the entrance hall and the lobby will undergo a renovation, a new wellness centre will be added.
Free ski buses will continue successful cooperation in the field of regional transport. Apart from ski buses providing transport to 46 kilometres of ski slopes, skiers will also have a special aqua-ski bus at disposal. This will operate between the largest Slovak water park, Tatralandia and the resort of Jasná.
The top-quality resort of Jasná Low Tatras will undergo regular maintenance soon. And after that, grand opening of the winter season 2013/14 is awaited. For more information about cableway operation on both sides of Mt. Chopok, please visit: http://www.jasna.sk/aktivity-a-eventy/leto/lanovky/. For more information about grand opening of the winter season in the resort of Jasná planned for 30th November 2013, please visit: http://www.jasna.sk/aktivity-a-eventy/eventy/winter-music-opening-2013/
Tatry mountain resorts, a.s. is a top subject in the field of tourism in Central and Easter Europe, which itself or via subsidiaries owns and operates attractive ski resorts and hotels in the area of the Low and High Tatras. These include the resort Jasná Low Tatras and the following
hotels: Wellness hotel Grand Jasná, Tri studničky and Chalets Záhradky De Luxe. In the High Tatras, TMR owns and operates resorts Tatranská Lomnica, Starý Smokovec and the following hotels: Grandhotel Praha Tatranská Lomnica, Grandhotel Starý Smokovec, Hotel Slovakia and hotel FIS Štrbské Pleso. TMR also co‐operates the resort Štrbské Pleso and since the winter season 2012/2013 it has been leasing the mountain resort Špindlerův Mlýn in the Czech Republic in cooperation with SMMR, a.s.. TMR owns Tatralandia, the largest Slovak aquapark with all-year operation, which offers a lot of water and other entertainment in the Fun Park relax or in a special tropical hall with sea water. It also offers accommodation in bungalows and suites of the Holiday Village Tatralandia. TMR also owns and rents hotels Kosodrevina, Liptov and Ski&Fun Záhradky and Bungalows. More than 144 million Euros were invested by the end of 2012 in the already mentioned resorts, which helps increase the standard and visitor turnout in the Tatras. The TMR shares have been traded on three European stock exchanges – in Bratislava, Prague and Warsaw since 2012.