ALICANTE, Spain — For many years, the preferred destination for Russians to invest in real estate has been Vega Baja, especially Torrevieja. However, there is an increasing trend of Russian ruble investments in the quintessential Mediterranean tourism capital, Benidorm. Moreover, these investments are often more substantial than just purchasing a mid-range second home.
Last week, however, a surprisingly notable investment was recorded in terms of its amount. As reflected in the Official Bulletin of the Mercantile Registry (Borme), a Russian investor has injected a whopping 7.4 million euros into a developer founded just last December: Hoteles Europe Daniella Invest SL. The investor, the sole partner of the company, goes by the name of Nadezhda Grishaeva.
No one in Benidorm has heard of her or her company, but what is striking is that the owner of Hoteles Europe Daniella Invest shares the same name as the Russian basketball player Nadezhda Grishaeva, a star in her country (she led the Russian women’s basketball team at the London Olympics) is capable of such an investment.
Industry sources consulted by Alicante Plaza suggest that, given the capital injection, the mysterious Ms. Grishaeva’s plans may involve acquiring or developing a hotel in the skyscraper city. However, the company’s objective is real estate promotion and brokerage. Luxury residences for compatriots, perhaps? Neither the Benidorm City Council, nor the apartment association Aptur, nor the hotel industry association Hosbec, know the investor or have ever seen her. The Casa de Rusia in Alicante also lacks information about the businesswoman.
If it is the athlete, Nadezhda Grishaeva is 28 years old and still active. Daughter of another legend of Russian basketball, this time male, she has also ventured into the world of fashion. This could be her first major business operation in Spain.
Whether or not she is the basketball player, it is clear that Hoteles Europe Daniella Invest, established in December, is born with significant financial backing to undertake significant operations in the sector. Another woman with a Russian name, Galina Lebedeva, is listed as the sole administrator of the company, who also heads four other developers based in Benidorm and Altea. In all of them, except one, she was appointed as the administrator between April and May, according to the Borme.
These include Spanish Destiny (the only one she has been leading for more than two years, since 2016), based in Benidorm like Hoteles Europe Daniella Invest; Go Evolution International SL, based in Villa Gadea, Altea; The Best 2011 SL, and Inaugural SL, both also headquartered in the luxurious Altea urbanization. Adding more mystery, the registered office of the two firms in Benidorm led by Lebedeva is not in any professional office but in an apartment building on the beachfront of Levante, on Avenida de Madrid.
