While Accor occupies a key position in Poland thanks to Orbis, a subsidiary of AccorInvest which owns more than 70 establishments in the country and in Central Europe, Radisson is also nurturing strong ambitions there. " Poland is a major market for our growth strategy in Europe" said Elie Younes, Director of Global Development at Radisson Hotel.
With 17 facilities in operation and at least six more to comeIn the near future, the group will have more than 5,200 rooms. " We have reactivated our growth plan for Poland since 2016, when we initiated a growth strategy focused on creating a diversified footprint mixing urban locations with leisure destinations, and operating in segments ranging from mid-range to luxury" said Valérie Schuermans, Vice-President of Business Development for Western and Central Europe.
The latest openings in Poland's major cities include the lifestyle brand Radisson RED recently made its debut at Gdanskas part of the redevelopment of Attic Island. Right in the heart of the city, linked to the historic centre of Gdansk by a footbridge, this island with its industrial past surrounded by the Motlawa river provides the setting for a 30-room hotel - including four suites - housed in a rebuilt former port warehouse. A loft-style establishment which also houses a bar and the Whiskey in the Jar steakhouse. With the Radisson RED Gdansk, the group now has four hotels in the Tricity metropolitan area (Gdansk-Gdynia-Sopot), joining a Radisson Hotel & Suites - also on "Attic Island" -, a Radisson Blu in the city centre, and another Radisson Blu in the seaside resort of Sopot.
In the same way as this lifestyle brand, the collection of independent hotels Radisson Individuals has also entered the Polish market with a first address in PoznanAndersia Hotel & Spa, a 172-room hotel with 1,800 m2 of MICE space. The Radisson Collection luxury brand has also been present in the country since the former Radisson Blu in Warsaw was upgraded following a complete renovation.
The Group's expansion in Poland will continue next year with the opening in the summer of two hotels in Krakowwithin the Unity Centre complex. This development, begun in the late 1960s, is nearing completion, with the city's tallest skyscraper as its focal point. In addition to office and retail space, the Unity Centre complex will house two of its buildings, a Radisson RED hotel and a long-stay establishment Radisson Apartments Krakow.
MICE resorts in Poland's major cities
Alongside these new urban forays, Radisson is also preparing to strengthen its offering in Polish leisure destinations. This is a segment that the group has been focusing on since opening its first hotel on the Baltic Sea in 2017, the Radisson Blu Resort Swinoujscie, with a ballroom that can accommodate 1,000 people. Its leisure portfolio has since expanded to include other MICE resortsWhether on the shores of the Baltic in Sopot and Kolobrzeg or in the mountains of Zakopane and Sklarska Poreba.
This range of leisure establishments with conference and meeting facilities will be expanded in early 2023 in the natural landscapes of Masuria with the Radisson Blu Resort & Conference Center in Ostroda. The Baltic coast will see the opening in 2024 of a Radisson Blu Resort in Miedzywodzie, close to the German border, and in 2025 of a Radisson Resort & Suites in Ustronie Morskie, a town in Pomerania near Kolobrzeg.
