The real estate group Start Priority, owned by the Ioana Carmen and Cornel Petruț Ion family – former partners of Alin Niculae, owner of Oscar Downstream – is preparing the construction of a large-scale events hall and adjoining hotel right next to a future hospital in Sector 6 and near its and Niculae’s project Exigent Plaza. The Ion family last year bought a 14,800-square-meter plot of land at 103B Timisoara Boulevard, on which they have already begun work to license a 2,900-square-meter events hall and a 30-room hotel. “We noticed a lack of large capacity event halls on the Bucharest market and after buying this land we decided to enter this niche. The building will comprise 4 separate halls that can be connected to form one hall with a total capacity of 600 people. We will also set up 30 hotel rooms here, to complete the events area,” said Cornel Ion. The investor signed a partnership agreement with the French hotel group Accor last year to open a Mercure hotel in a renovated building on Dimitrie Cantemir Boulevard, near the center of Bucharest. Cornel Ion says construction of the 40-room hotel will start in February. The Ion family also owns the Le Blanc events salon, formerly known as Bârlogul Lupilor, and an aparthotel on Splaiul Unirii, both in Sector 6. The Start Priority group’s track record is based, in particular, on the 10,000 or so apartments developed in partnership with Alin Niculae, owner of Romania’s largest independent diesel distributor Oscar Downstream, and Daniel Niculae, Alin Niculae’s cousin and son of Petre (Pepe) Niculae – owner of Pedro Company Constructexim and one of the most prolific housing developers in Sector 6.