Poland Hotel supply: Spotlight on the provinces and the economy segment

The metamorphosis of Poland’s supply continues. In 2000, the country had 8,301 properties for tourism accommodations. In 2008 this figure was only 6,857. Poland is gradually seeing outdated collective structures – youth hostels in particular – disappear to the benefit of an all-new hotel supply. From 500 hotels in 1991, then 1,000 in 2002, the country has now grown to more than 1,400 hotels for nearly 75,000 rooms.The upscale segment was the first to benefit from this general trend and the number of 4* and 5* hotels doubled between 2003 and 2007. In addition to the global hotel industry leaders, Poland saw niche products appear, offering proof of a certain level of maturity. The boutique hotel Rialto has long been one of the treasures of the hotel industry in Warsaw. But the movement also reached the provinces as in the case of Blow Up Hall 5050 in Poznan, which opened last year. This conversion of a former brewery is the brainchild of businesswoman and art collector Grazyna Kulczyk. The decoration of this hotel is radical: black and white, a space where gusts are plunged into a universe of pixels by Rafael Lozano Hemmer, contemporary artist who developed the interactiveanimation at London’s Tate Museum.Growth continues for higher categories. Warsaw, a hub for businessmen, and Krakow, the heart of tourism, were developers’ initial targets. Today, groups are turning toward major cities in the provinces to fill out the coverage of their networks. “There is considerable potential. Their importance will grow constantly,” expects Krzysztof Steplowski of Qubus Hotel. Poznan, the number-two economic center in the country as well as Wroclaw, Lodz, Katowice, Szczecin, the conurbation Bydgoszcz-Torun and even the “Tri-Cities” – Gda?sk, Sopot and Gdynia – are all territories that hoteliers are trying to conquer.Thanks to support from Orbis, the major player on...