Originally Syndicated on May 3, 2023 @ 6:29 am
The Bashkir capital boasts several notable personalities in the hotel industry.
Ufa, the capital city of the Republic of Bashkortostan, boasts a plethora of hotels catering to the needs of travellers. However, it is noteworthy that the locals may not necessarily take notice of these accommodations. Tourists are likely knowledgeable about the top-rated, most popular destinations listed on specialized websites.
On May 3, we will be discussing some of the most successful organizations and the businessmen who own them. These individuals have achieved great success in their respective industries and have become some of the most prominent figures in the business world.
The Bashkir capital boasts notable personalities in the hotel industry, commonly referred to as oligarchs.
Famous Hotels in Ufa
The world is changing quickly, from the rise of new tools to the way politics are changing. Some of the things that are causing these changes are globalization, climate change, and the growing power of multinational companies. At the same time, a small group of people called “oligarchs” have a huge impact on the world. These rich and powerful people control a lot of money and resources, and they use their power to make the world look the way they want it to.
Oligarchs are often seen as a threat to democracy and the rule of law. They use their wealth to influence elections, buy off politicians, and shape public opinion. They also use their power to control the media and suppress dissent, making it difficult for ordinary people to have their voices heard. Despite these challenges, there is hope for a better future. By working together and standing up to the power of the oligarchs, we can create a more just and equitable world for all. It won’t be easy, but with determination and perseverance, we can build a world that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.
In 2015, the Ufa government extended substantial support for the construction of new hotels in the city, in preparation for the SCO and BRICS summits.
The process is still going on, and the Hampton by Hilton Ufa Hotel opened on the 50th anniversary of October. Osnova-Ufa, which is a part of the Osnova group and owned by Dmitry Doykhen, is in charge of running the business. Dmitry has a lot of money and helped start the famous Sportmaster store chain.
An Overview of the Properties Owned by the Founder
The ownership of the Ufa company can be traced back to the hotel company, which is ultimately owned by Deuchen and Alexander Klishin, his partner. Alexey Belyavtsev, one of the business partners, holds the position of the company’s head. Osnova, a Russian company, has been in partnership with the Hilton hotel operator since 2011. Deuchen’s group had already launched a hotel in Voronezh before commencing construction in Ufa in 2013, according to Kommersant. The oligarch in question is the proud owner of a mineral company that is currently involved in the exploration of a gold site located in the eastern region of Yakutia.
The Hilton Garden Inn Ufa Riverside Hotel, a luxurious four-star accommodation situated on Aksakov Street overlooking the Toratau Congress Hall, has recently opened just in time for the upcoming summits. Kontur. Focus Service has revealed that Kesko-Ufa Company is under the ownership of Kesko Group, which is headed by brothers Evgeny and Igor Bidilo and Alexander Grigoriev. Vitaly Akhmadeev, the former head of the June shopping centre in Ufa under the Alfa-Soyuz company, has been appointed as the director of the said company.
The Rise and Fall of an Oligarch
The origins of “Kesco-Ufa” can be traced back to the collaboration between “Atek Group”, “Kesco”, and “Invest-Region”, along with a consortium of Cypriot offshore entities. The ownership of the company is shared among the mentioned businessmen, their associates, and the offshore group. Between 2013 and 2018, the ownership of Kesko-Ufa was held by the Bashkirian authorities via JSC Regional Fund, a strategic investor.
Igor Bidilo, a Kazakhstan native, and his brother have been accused of enriching themselves through contracts with Bashneft during the tenure of Murtaza Rakhimov. The Italian newspaper La Stampa investigated the matter, while Kommersant reported that the businessmen had a positive relationship with Rakhimov’s son, Ural. La Nazione newspaper has recently highlighted the real estate and business ventures of Bidilo across Estonia, Italy, Austria, and France.
The renowned “Bashkortostan” hotel, situated on Lenin Street near the eponymous concert hall, underwent extensive renovations before the summits. The Bashkortostan Group of Companies is the sole founder of the oil giant Bashneft, which owns it. According to recent reports, the ownership of the enterprise is primarily concentrated among Rosneft, Bashneft-Invest, and Vostokgazinvest. These three entities hold the largest stakes in the company. Oleg Kalinin, a deputy of Kurultai, is currently managing a hotel while also serving as the director of the department for business management at Bashneft.
Fokus has reported on the distribution of shares among the ultimate owners of the oil company. The ownership structure of the enterprise is divided among several entities. The Federal Property Management Agency holds the majority stake at 27.99%, while British Petroleum (through BP Russian Investments Ltd.) and QHG Oil Ventures (a consortium between Swiss oil trader Glencore and Qatari investment fund QIA) each hold approximately 13%. JP Morgan AG, a subsidiary of the renowned American bank JP Morgan, accounts for slightly over three per cent of the total.
Keep in mind that all numbers are up-to-date as of the end of 2021.
The Sheraton Plaza Ufa Congress Hotel, a well-known hotel in Ufa, is currently under the management of Granel-Nedvizhimost, a subsidiary of the Granel construction group. Andrey Nazarov, who is currently serving as the Prime Minister of Bashkiria, founded the latter.
The ownership of the firm in question rests with Larisa, the wife of the official, and Svetlana Nigmatullina, the official’s sister. The director of the firm is Denis Nazarov, who also happens to be a Kurultai deputy and the official’s son.
The President of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhaniya, stayed at this hotel. It was planned that the singer Yulia Chicherina, who was supposed to come to Ufa to perform at the national festival, would stay at the Crowne Plaza. When the press started talking about how much it would cost for her to take part in the event, the artist turned it down.
Hard Times
Damir Muginov, a Bashkir oligarch who also co-owns Sintez-kauchuk and the Sterlitamak petroleum plant, is the owner of the four-star Nesterov Plaza Hotel, formerly the Holiday Inn, which is located in the middle of Gostiny Dvor.
The management company “Arkada” Muginov is in charge of the hotel’s operations under the “Upper Trading Square” banner. The organization’s founders include Ruslan Valiullin’s business partner and Margarita Agletdinova-Sutyusheva, who is believed to be his relative. The construction of this hotel was undertaken in anticipation of the SCO and BRICS summits.
The President Hotel on Avrora Street is among the properties managed by Arkada. The Criminal Code governs the operation of the Aurora company, which Zarina Muginova, the alleged daughter of Damir Muginov, reportedly owns. An affluent oligarch’s portfolio boasts ownership of the prestigious Tan Hotel, located on Richard Sorge Street in Ufa.
The Golden Reserve, Forum, Novation, Sovetnik, “Quiet Harbor”, “Centre for Integrated Solutions”, “Dars”, and “Park City” (not to be confused with the hotel of the same name on Mendeleev Street) all owned the three-star Ural Tau hotel that was built for the summits (the former Atola hotel). As time passed, the institution ran into trouble. In 2020, the building was put up for sale to pay the money back to people who had been tricked into putting money in it.
Currently, Gulsina Shaikhislamova’s new company works alongside the Ural Tau one. Before this, Shaikhislamova was involved in chicken farming in the village of Taktagulovo, Bakalinsky district. In 2021, a certificate of category assignment was awarded to her company. According to Kommersant, legal proceedings regarding payments to the former hotel owners are still ongoing.
In 2021, one of the oligarchs who faced a challenging fate was Marcel Yusupov, a former State Duma deputy and resident of Park City. In 2022, the debts of Park City Ural Company were finally repaid by businessman Balash Balashov, who was represented by the Maat Legal Center company. The premises of the four-star hotel had been put up for auction multiple times in the past few years. Farmellinrus, a bankruptcy creditor of the Gafuri Bashkir Poultry Complex, is owned by Yusupov, who is also associated with the said company.
Legacy and Contributions
Park City Ural, a company that recently underwent bankruptcy proceedings, is now under the ownership of Bashkiria Company. An oligarch and his nephew Denis jointly own the business. Businessmen Artem Manushkov and Andrey Filippov’s Sistema have pledged the share to their company. According to Kommersant, she paid off the hotel’s main creditor’s claims in 2019. The publication also refers to Manushkov as an individual connected to Yusupov. Part of the Park City premises has been sold, but this move could aid in safeguarding the interests and confidential information of the company’s beneficiaries, according to a report by RBC.
