Tourism growth, economic development and an evolving hotel portfolio: Eastern Europe remains one of the most attractive areas for new hotel development in Europe. The IHG Group recently unveiled its growth targets for the region. These targets are high, as the British group is expected to open around 50 hotels in the next three to five years. Some of them are already more than a reality. In September, the lifestyle brand Hotel Indigo set up shop in Krakow. The long-stay Staybridge Suites brand, meanwhile, has made its debut in the Polish capital. Baku, AzerbaijanThe Holiday Inn brand will be launched in October in Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second largest city.
Our long-term outlook for the region
"There is strong demand for branded hotels in the region: they are seen as a viable asset class, attracting outside investment and benefiting from local government support for development." explains Robert Shepherd, Head of Group Development at IHG Europe. "The success of our strategy in Eastern Europe is due in particular to the increase in tourists from visa-free countries, including China, South Korea and India, but also to demand from our customers in Western Europe. (...) Our outlook for the region is long-term. We want our entire portfolio of brands to meet the needs of consumers. ".
For its part, AccorHotels has announced a number of ibis hotel openings in Hungary and Poland. ibis Styles, the hotel group's design and budget brand, now has two addresses in Budapest - the Ibis Styles Budapest Center is themed around childhood and play, and the Ibis Styles Budapest City is themed around cycling. These establishments are the result of the conversion of former Mercure establishments by the Polish design agency Tremend. The ibis brands have also continued to expand in Poland, with two new ibis and four ibis Styles. These establishments join the 25 already in existence. Among these openings is the ibis Wroclaw Centrum. Wroclaw, the European Capital of Culture in 2016, has also just welcomed the top-of-the-range Double Tree by Hilton brand, with a contemporary 189-room business hotel located in the OVO complex, one of the city's new architectural landmarks.
