New brands poised to enter the market

We estimate that in 2015 around 80 new hotels will be added to the hotel market in Poland. And it will not only be the local hotel chains who have grown dynamically, such as Puro or the Dobry Hotel group, who will be continuing their expansion, but also international chains that already operate in our country, including Accor, Best Western, Hilton, Louvre Hotels Group and Carlson Rezidor. Brands previously absent, owned by hotel chains such as Marriott (Moxy, AC Hotels, Autograph), Choice Hotels (Clarion, Quality, Comfort), Steigenberger (InterCity Hotel) and Motel One (Motel One), should make an appearance in our country in the next two years. The GDP growth forecasts for Poland for the next two years (2015/2016) are in the region of 3–3.5 pct, which allows us to look forward with some optimism at the development of the hotels sector in our country. This economic growth will be given an additional boost by a further influx of EU funds, from which EUR 80 bln has been granted to us for the 2014–2020 period. Falling fuel prices have been a factor since mid-2014, which will mean lower airline ticket prices, which in turn should have an impact on the number of tourists staying in hotels. Meanwhile, according to preliminary estimates 2014 finished in Poland with GDP growth of app. 3.3 pct, which was also reflected in the hotel business. Chain hotels in the most important tourist destinations, such as Kraków, the TriCity, Wrocław and Poznań, had a RevPAR index (revenue per available room) in the range of 4–6 pct. Meanwhile, in Warsaw the RevPAR index decreased to 5 pct over the period in question; however, it should be remembered that the supply in the city increased by as many as 900 new hotel rooms in 2014. The strength of the capital city’s hotel market is confirmed by the fact that despite such a considerable increase in the supply of rooms, occupancy in hotels grew by 1 pct. And the increase in the hotel rooms was not just a phenomenon restricted to Warsaw, but was also evident in other cities. The 155-room Hilton Garden Inn opened in Kraków, while the Holiday Inn in the city centre was extended by 95 rooms. In Wrocław the market gained the 134-room Best Western Plus Q Hotel and an Ibis Style offering 133 rooms. Meanwhile, Poznań saw the opening of Puro hotel with 136 rooms. To summarise, according to Horwath HTL’s research, the total number of categorised hotel facilities operating in Poland at the end of 2014 came to more than 2,450 comprising more than 122,000 hotel rooms.