Last week, one of Kiev’s most famous hotels was sold to a mystery buyer for $41 million. Speculation over the identity of the buyer has been rife in Ukraine over the last few days, but now in a new twist, the buyer has just revealed himself on social media – and it’s a name you might recognise.
Alexander Kokhanovskyy, the founder and former CEO of Natus Vincere, has announced it was he who purchased the hotel on July 15 for $41 million for the purposes of turning it into an esports-ready hotel” that will bring Ukraine more in line with other leading esports countries, according to his Facebook post.
“The winner of the auction related to the sale of Dnipro Hotel is represented by Ukrainian IT professionals rather than Russian oligarchs,” his post reads. “We’ll turn it into the world’s first-ever hotel fully designed to host esports events. There will be training areas, an esports arena, special rooms for professional players, as well as the world’s best players’ lounge.”
Kokhanovskyy says he’s come forward now, rather than presenting his plans in September like he intended, because of the recent interest in his identity and to stop the rumours from getting out of hand.
Ukraine is where old meets new.
Soviet-styled “Dnipro” hotel in central Kyiv is about to turn into the world’s first Esports Ready Hotel! New owners, previously behind Ukraine’s legendary esports club Na’Vi @natusvincere🏆 aim to develop an entire esports ecosystem in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/oOF1nEI0Mu
— Ukraine / Україна (@Ukraine) July 23, 2020
Although it’s still early days for the Dnipro Hotel and its future, the investor says he’s excited to get started.
“All my life I have represented Ukraine in the world of esports. This is a huge world market with great opportunities for our country’s economy, so it’s time to present Ukraine to the world,” he says.
