Mountain freedom and deep authenticity: the phenomenon of the unique Tavel Hotel&SPA in the heart of Bukovel

Thank God for what you have, and you will get what you don't even dream of. This message has become the motto for the married couple Roman and Tetiana Rodzoniak, who are the founders of Tavel Hotel&SPA in Bukovel.

Despite the strict laws of business and the constantly evolving pro-European trends in tourism development, these people managed to create a space filled with freedom and imbued with Ukrainian authenticity in every detail.

In early March, the couple hosted a very important charity event aimed at raising funds for the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. A charity gastronomic dinner and auction was held at the renovated Tavel Hotel&SPA and the Koreni restaurant, which raised UAH 300,000.

It was there that Oboz.ua talked to the hotel's founders.

A piece of land instead of a new car

The start of the hotel business was quite unusual for this family. According to the hotel's founder Tetiana, once she made a decision that changed her life.

"It was then that my husband gave me money to buy a car. But I decided otherwise, and bought a piece of land on which Tavel grew," she explained.

"Tanya+Bukovel"

According to Tetiana, the name of the hotel came about by itself: "It was only later that we started researching this word and realized that we had chosen it for a reason. As it turned out, it had a lot of common ground: firstly, there is a province in France called Tavel where the best wine is produced; secondly, in Scandinavian, the word means "to receive guests."

It was originally a small family-run hotel

14 years ago, it was a small family-run hotel with 21 rooms. It also had a small pizzeria.

"At first, we worked on such a small volume. We took out a lot of loans because we wanted to cover all our needs quickly, because this is our only business," the founder said.

4 years later, the then small hotel received a second building.

Even during the war, the hotel underwent a large-scale renovation, the main part of which was completed in just a record eight months. The hotel reopened in February 2024. Currently, some work is still underway, but it does not affect the quality of the hotel's services.

After the implementation of all the plans, Tavel Hotel&SPA will have 88 rooms. At the same time, the founders shared a very interesting idea, which is currently being implemented.

"There will be 8 unique rooms inspired by Barcelona and Gaudi. Their concept is from sunrise to sunset. The walls of these rooms will be entirely glass, and the interior will be made in a smooth transition from blue to orange and red," said Tatiana.

According to her, customers will be able to choose which room they want to stay in this time, where they want to be - in the east or in the west.

HVOYA Aparthotel ("Pine Needles")

After the successful launch of the family-run cozy hotel, the founders decided to expand, and 5 years ago they built an apartment hotel with a laconic and authentic name HVOYA ("Pine Needles").

According to Tetiana, all the rooms in the hotel have owners who receive their dividends every year. "It's a kind of very profitable real estate investment that brings very good returns," she explained.

"Last year was very successful for us in the market, as I said, we got there in small steps, and now we have given the investor a 14% return on investment. This is a lot, given that there is a war in the country, but we have made a lot of such magnets, chips, which encouraged guests to come and return," says Ms. Tetyana.

Closed-cycle vacation

The main advantage of Tavel Hotel&SPA and HVOYA apart-hotel is that they offer their guests a closed-cycle vacation. That's why couples with children and young people looking for quality entertainment are so fond of vacationing there.

Everything says about customer care. "We want to attract vacationers from all walks of life: families with children, people in their 40s who work and know the value of money, but also young people who come to see artists perform, to attend various events, and to get positive," says Ms. Tetyana.

According to her, when planning many areas, the founders relied on their own experience, because, among other things, they are also parents of three children, so they know exactly how important it is to find a vacation spot where everyone will be comfortable.

To this end, the hotel has a children's room where you can leave your child under supervision for 4 hours during the day for free. In addition, the spa has a separate area for people who want to relax without children, without noise, etc. The restaurant also has a children's area. "I know from my own experience how wonderful it is to be able to sit down to dinner with your husband, drink wine, and not worry about where your child is, because he is right there behind the glass partition," the founder added.

Another plus is that the hotel is located right next to the ski lifts, so guests don't have to spend a lot of time and effort getting there.

And a separate chic bonus - a free spa. "You may have noticed that you will never smell chlorine or anything else unpleasant in our pools and other spa areas. We use very high-quality cleaners that do not have a strong odor, do not dry the skin and are safe for both adults and children," explained Ms. Tetyana.

Gorgeous floral decoration, a permanent interactive exhibition of paintings in the hotel halls and very attentive staff are what will make your admiration for Tavel Hotel even stronger.

A room for family happiness

All the hotel rooms are decorated in a very elegant style, but at the same time they have enough Scandinavian zest and youthful drive.

The advantage is that the rooms, like all hotels, follow the concept of a comfortable and happy family vacation: this can be seen in a very reasonably organized space. We are talking about separate bathrooms, separate areas for parents and children, as well as a kitchen with high-quality modern appliances and all the necessary equipment.

Restaurant of authentic cuisine "Koreni"

Koreni Restaurant in Bukovel is a unique restaurant serving local Ukrainian cuisine.

"This means that we use only local domestic products grown and produced here - in Karaty and the regions nearby," explained Vitaliy Guralevych, the restaurant's brand chef.

He is a well-known culinary expert, participant and winner of international culinary competitions, and a chef who explores Ukrainian cuisine and local products.

"Ukrainian cuisine is gaining extraordinary popularity," says the brand chef, "people are becoming seriously interested in it, they want to taste and learn it, which is very nice. We talked to the founders of the restaurant and hotels and decided to make a modern restaurant of new Ukrainian cuisine. I believe that modern Ukrainian cuisine does not exist, because the dishes are based on the same ones as 200 and 300 years ago, but in a slightly updated form. So, today we have the right to talk about updated or modernized traditional Ukrainian cuisine."

The Koreni restaurant serving local Ukrainian cuisine opened in March 2024. "The name 'Koreni' (roots) has many meanings and senses," says founder Tetiana Rodzoniak, "to begin with, koreni means delving into your roots, your family, historical recipes, traditional ethnic dishes. We present them in a new, meaningful and modernized way. The name also reflects the fact that for many centuries Ukrainians have traditionally eaten mostly root vegetables - turnips, onions, celery, parsley, parsley, parsnips, beets, and others. And the third interpretation of the name is that the brand chef uses a lot of roots in the restaurant's décor and serving dishes, which symbolizes the riches of nature and earthly gifts."