Hotel market with fewer openings than planned

Hotel market in Poland has been enjoying an economic boom for some years now, hence its potential is constantly growing. Due to delays in the implementation of hotels, this year fewer than expected facilities will open

According to Statistics Poland, over 71 million overnight stays in total in the first three quarters of this year were provided in Poland, including almost 39 million in hotel facilities. 26.4 million people used these accommodations, including 5.5 million foreign tourists, mostly from Germany, Great Britain, Ukraine and the USA. The number of tourists visiting our country has been growing for a long time now, which is a natural consequence of the increase in statistics on passenger transport carried out by airlines and the expansion of the hotel market in Poland.

Katarzyna Tencza, Associate Director at Walter Herz's Hospitality Department, admits that the largest development of the hotel segment is visible in Warsaw. She informs that several hotel facilities have been opened, and several aparthotel investments have been finished in the capital since the beginning of this year, providing Warsaw market with almost fifteen hundred new rooms.

Warsaw with luxurious brands

Warsaw hotel resources increased, among others, due to the opening of the luxurious Raffles Europejski hotel with 106 rooms at Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street, Krakowska Residence hotel with over 350 rooms by Grupa Arche, Renaissance Warsaw Airport hotel with 225 rooms and ibis Styles Warszawa City hotel at Grzybowska Street. It is also worth mentioning the new aparthotel investments on the capital's map - the 165-room Platinum Hotel&Residedence in Wilanów, the 150-room facility by Grupa Arche - Hotel Poloneza, as well as the 311-room Varsovia Apartamenty Kasprzaka.

At the beginning of next year, Four Points by Sheraton hotel, offering 192 rooms, is also to welcome their first guests, along with Vienna House hotel with 164 rooms.

The largest number of hotel investments in the city is carried out in Śródmieście, Mokotów and Wola, in the areas with the largest office clusters. The new accommodation offer in Warsaw is catered primarily to business customers.

Katarzyna Tencza notes that also Tri-City is in the group of markets that have increased their hotel potential this year. The city is to increase its resources with almost a thousand hotel rooms this year, and another 500 high-class rooms next year. According to the specialist, Tri-City is one of the markets with the greatest development opportunities in Poland. - In the next three years, when the facilities currently under construction and prepared for construction in the Tri-City area will be delivered, the hotel offer on this market will increase by about 40 per cent – estimates Walter Herz expert.

Old Town of Gdansk is becoming more beautiful

This year, the Tri-City hotel market gained the following hotel facilities: Hampton by Hilton Gdansk Old Town with 154 rooms, IBB Hotel Długi Targ with 90 rooms, Sopot's Focus Premium which has 70 rooms as well as Testa hotel offering a dozen or so rooms, also located in Sopot.

The most optimistic forecasts regarding the development of the hotel resources concern Gdansk. – Wyspa Spichrzów Island, which is located near the Gdansk Old Town, is particularly noteworthy. The area is being extensively revitalized for several years. There are numerous projects of various nature there, including Radisson hotel in the Deo Plaza complex with 350 rooms, Holiday Inn Gdańsk City Center hotel with 240 rooms, Grano hotel in the Grano Residence complex with 136 rooms in the condo system, Grand Hotel with 340 rooms also in the condo system.

Cracow and Poznan with smaller increase

Hotel business sees a considerable growth also in Silesia. Especially in Katowice and Gliwice, where the choice of accommodation by the end of 2020 will increase by a quarter.

The Cracow market has increased by almost 500 rooms this year. In addition to the newly commissioned B&B hotel at Monte Cassino Street with 130 rooms, Puro Hotel Krakow Kazimierz with 200 rooms has also joined the market. In addition, an aparthotel of the Artery Hotel chain has also opened in Cracow.

According to Walter Herz's data, the capital of Wielkopolska region has gained over 450 hotel rooms this year. New openings include Altus hotel with 109 rooms and Focus hotel with 94 rooms. The Radisson Group has also opened its eleventh hotel in Poland, with 166 rooms in Poznan. Hampton by Hilton Poznań hotel is also to open soon.

Nowe Centrum Łodzi with large projects

According to the Walter Herz expert, a huge potential in terms of the hotel market growth is also in Łódź, where the implementation of the extensive Nowe Centrum Łodzi project is under way. Thanks to the large, multifunctional investments that are planned and carried out as part of this project, in a few years, the city will have around 30 per cent larger hotel base than today.

According to Walter Herz, the quality of accommodation in Polish resorts is also to improve soon. Many branded facilities are to appear in resorts, such as Hilton Garden Inn in Kolobrzeg, Hilton in Świnoujście, Radisson Blu hotels in Zakopane and Szklarska Poreba, Best Western Premier Navy in Świnoujście, MGallery by Sofitel in Jurata and Crowne Plaza in Sopot. A five-star Crystal Mountain Resort is to be built in Wisla, with about 500 rooms, restaurant facilities, a conference center, a SPA and an aquapark with an outdoor swimming pool.

Operators' plans

In 2019, the Orbis / Accor hotel chain will open the first facility under the MGallery by Sofitel brand in Poland. The next new brand on the Polish market of this chain - Adagio, is to appear in Poland. The new facility which will be opened in Cracow in 2021.

A new brand from the Hilton portfolio - Curio Collection by Hilton will also debut on the Polish market in Cracow.

A novelty in the operations of the Louvre Hotels Group will be the opening Europe's first four-star hotel by Chinese brand Metropolo by Golden Tulip in Cracow, in December 2018. The facility located at Orzechowa Street will offer 220 modern rooms. In addition, the company is to reintroduce Kyriad brand, which had been present on the Polish market in the past. The first facility under this brand is to be opened in 2019 in Katowice.

In the Warsaw Varso complex of HB Reavis, which is currently under construction at the intersection of Jana Pawła II and Chmielna Street, the first four-star NYX hotel by Leonardo Hotels chain will begin operations in the country in 2020, providing the capital with new 331 rooms.