This Russian Businessman Brings The Best To Florida Aquatic Lifestyle

Iurii Andreev made up his mind to invest into the American business because of his daughter. The young lady graduated from a prestigious college in Switzerland where her major was hotel management. “First we wanted to establish something in Europe for my daughter to be able to run her hotel there. And we wanted something different rather than Russia if we talk about running business,” says Andreev.

But the choices in Europe didn’t impress Andreev, while in the US the businessman fell liked the very first hotel he saw, Ocean Inn Hollywood. So he purchased this hotel on the east coast of Florida, and right after that another one, Ocean Drive Villa, just a mile away. Andreev’s next step was developing a new business — entertainment concierge. “We realized that it’s going to be demanded all year long. And we had a clear business plan!” explains Andreev.

In Florida with its aquatic-based lifestyle, the businessman felt at home. Back in Saratov, Russia, he actually have worked with water sports and boats for the past 15 years.

Florida is known as the largest US market of marine vehicles, and Andreev made, sold and repaired boats, engines, and houseboats. He even owns a river shipyard, and his company Lodka House is also a distributor of American brands Thoroughbred Houseboats, Smokercraft and River Hawk in Russia.

Unlike Russia, people in the US actually live in houseboats. “There are floating villages like this in America, for instance in the state of Kentucky. You can save on the property taxes like this,” explains Andreev.

Also, Andreev owns a country club Podsolnyh located in a picturesque place on the bank of river Volga in Russia. There is a lot of entertainment and fishing there, and the local chef cooks a superb fish soup for the hotel guests.

“The guests of our country club are often our yacht club members. These same people are being taken care of in our docks, and they shop in our fishing and hunting stores, and they buy marine vehicles as well. They know it all under the name of our brand Lodka house,” says Andreev.

In the U.S. this entrepreneur is implementing the same holistic approach as he did in Russia. However, the goals and the market is so much larger.

Andreev’s first step in conquering the market was the purchase of the hotels in 2013. “You must be confident and provide customers with the best service,” he says. Lodkahouse started the pricey renovation of the hotels, which was completed only this spring. Ocean Drive Villa and Ocean Inn Hollywood changed drastically and the prices rose. Andreev lost a few old customers, but he won way more new ones. To meet the growing needs of the clients, he hired new staff.

His experience in the state of eternal sunshine was very different from running a countryside hotel in Russia, where less guests come when it is cold outside. “Here in Florida average occupancy rate is around 80%, and it’s incredible!” says Andreev.

Leisure concierge service
Stage two was setting up the completely new business of leisure concierge. A new team was hired for that — fitness and entertainment specialists, three fishing guides, a marketing manager, and a tourism director. The team is working on providing the clients with exclusive entertainment and recreational experiences.

Lodka house’s tailor-made services include yoga on the beach, bicycle tours, spa, shopping tours, sightseeing and so on. The main focus is on the aquatic activities, such as fishing, snorkeling, diving and paddle-board. There are options for both adults and students coming over for vacations.

Andreev purchased two boats, fishing gear and other necessary equipment. Also, his company bought a dock to provide the customers with the maximum comfort.

“This new concierge service here in the U.S. helped us create even a wider range of entertainment services than in Russia,” explains the businessman.

It’s peculiar that Lodka house’s services are not specifically targeted at Russian customers. On the contrary, lots of the clients are Americas. Some of the customers came as a legacy from the previous owners of the hotel. These are the guys who come over to the same place every year, enjoy the same shady patio and the ocean, and like that the hotel is pet friendly. Other customers need more — these are the new clients, now coming for the fine fishing experience Lodka house already became famous for.

The Secret Plan
There’s a third stage to Andreev’s plan, and there is a new business he has in mind. This includes a purchase of land in the town of Dania Beach. “We have an idea to expend to a whole new level. The project is ready and we are all ready . I cannot go into details right now, but it has nothing to do with moving our production from Saratov. We are not going to export anything from Russia, we have invented something new,” says Andreev.

Investing in the U.S., the entrepreneur found that some things are very different from Russia. “I do not get it why the lawyer’s hourly rate is $500 and whether my business needs the expenses like that. For example we have an in-house lawyer in Russia, his monthly salary is $1000, and he can solves all problems. In the U.S. we spend $5000 outsourcing a lawyer, and for a solution of a single matter,” complains the entrepreneur.

Anyway, Andreev admits that the US market is very larger than anything he would have imagined before. He strongly believes that Lodka house will take it all and beat the competitors, because he and his employees are very inspired by what they do.

“The first thing I bought in America was a boat. This is my life. As a boy I used to spend a lot of time fishing in the Volga river. And then I decided to turn this into a business. So providing the top-notch aquatic experience, I’m just doing what I love,” explains Yury.

So Andreev’s daughter, who inspired the whole family to try investing in the U.S., now is very busy girl. “Everything to do with hotels and entertainment, all everyday operations are now her responsibility. I am just an investor and think about strategy, further development and new business,” says the proud father.