The tourism in Poland is booming – short domestic trips are very popular and the largest hotel chains IHG, Hilton, Marriott and Starwood invests in numerous new business and leisure hotels.

The need of modern hotels is increasing. According to TOPHOTELPROJECT, the worldwide leading provider of global b2b hotel data, currently 21 new top hotels with more than 4,200 rooms are under construction. Further 180 hotel construction projects are planned.

The international hotel chains InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International and Starwood Hotels especially invest in new properties in large cities. In 2015 the Holiday Inn Dabrowa Gornicza will open its doors in Kattowitz. The 160 room property arises next to the new exhibition centre "Expo Silesia". IHG promotes its Holiday Inn Hotels brand in East Europe. Currently 281 Holiday Inn Hotels are in operation in Europe and 25 new hotels are in the development.

The hotel market in Poland is growing very strong. Currently about 3,000 hotels and 6,000 guesthouses, apartments and other accomondation are in operation. With regards to the investments, large project companies which requested EU subsidies, are leading. The scandinavian hotel chain Puro Hotels opened its second property located at the Vistula River in Cracow in 2013. During 2014 the completion of two further properties are planned in Poznan and Gdansk.

Hilton Worldwide currently has five hotels in the pipeline, three of them will open during 2014. In February 2014 the first spit should take place for a 200 room property in Wroclaw. The opening of the futuristic-designed Ovo apartments, which will include a DoubleTree by Hilton (right) located in the historic district, is scheduled for 2016. Starwood Hotels is going to cooperate with investors who are building hotels and rent them to hotel chains. Currently the Americans are represented with six properties by three of their brands (Bristol, Westin and Sheraton) in four Polish large cities and they are planning to expand. They are looking for partners for three properties in Gdansk, Wroclaw and Lodz where new design hotels, oriented to young people, branded by Aloft should arise.

The largest Hotel Chains in Poland

• Orbis/Accor: 60 hotels – 11,043 rooms
• Best Western: 20 – 1,830
• Louvre Hotels Group: 16 – 1,903
• WAM: 15 – 1,113
• Qubus: 14 – 1,464
• Gromada: 12 – 1,451
• Rezidor: 8 – 1,823
  (Source: Horwarth HTL/late 2012)

Large chains are especially focussing on large cities: Warsaw, Cracow, Wroclaw, Poznan and Gdansk. According to analyses by the Lion's Bank most of the booked overnight stays are in these cities. Further popular destinations are Kolobrzeg, Zakopane, Wisla, Sopot or Mikolajki. The investment's bench mark is mainly the occupancy, which rated at about 41 percent in the last five years. Except from the locations listed above also smaller locations could surpass the occupancy rate and could become an insider tip for investors: first of all Swinoujscie (occupancy rate of 43%), Lublin (42%) as well as Szczecin (40 %).  

Industry professionals agree that also Warsaw and Gdansk have lots of potential. The number of hotels in the Polish capital is five times smaller than the number of hotels in Prague for example. Also Radom and Opole have a need of capacity. Furthermore all Polish cities have a need of mid class hotels (three star category) as well as of budget hotels.

They will be attractive to domestic travellers which are exploring their country. According to a survey from HRS.pl almost three quarters of Polish families planed a weekend trip in summer 2013.

Operators of touristic attraction apart from the main streets want to profit from this. Until mid-2015 a new culture and recovery centre should arise for about 10 million Euro at the open-air museum in the Masovian village in Sierpc. Among other a hotel for 150 guest, a restaurant, a theatre and conference hall as well as a pool and spa complex is planned.

In Modlin which is about 90 kilometres away the new owner of the 200 years old fortress will invest about 100 million Euro. Wieslaw Jan Prusjecki, CEO of the company Konkret, has an urban concept in vision as well as a conference centre, a hotel and a cinema. The reopened airport Modliner, which is the Polish headquarter of Ryanair, could guarantee enough customers. 

Zdrojowa Invest plans a hotel in Swinoujscie for about 60 million Euro. The Park Hotel Spa in Swierardow Zdroj will cost more than three million Euro – until 2014 the building with a total area of 4,500 square meter should be finished. The Polska Grupa Uzdrowisk (Polish spa group) invests about 2,5 million Euro for the refurbishment of its property in Cieplice. The hotel will offer its guests about 100 beds, a restaurant, a conference room and a wellness centre by 2015.

Further information: www.tophotelprojects.com