The total accommodation capacity in Bucharest should increase by at least 10% in the next three years, considering the new hotel projects announced or already under construction, according to real estate consultancy firm C&W Echinox.

New hotel projects will also be developed in Romania’s biggest cities.

The hotel market in Bucharest is currently dominated by 4- and 5-star hotels, which represent 70% of the total accommodation capacity in the city. Almost half of the hotel rooms in Bucharest are operated by international hotel chains compared to a national average of only 7.5%.

The hotel market in Romania recorded its seventh consecutive growth year in 2017. Tourists spent over 20 million nights in the almost 100,000 hotel rooms in Romania last year, up by 4% compared to the previous year and by 57% compared to 2010.

The average occupation rate increased to 39.4%, from 29.9% in 2010. Hotels in Iasi, Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca, had the highest average occupation rates, namely over 44%, in 2017.

Cluj-Napoca saw the highest growth in the number of tourists checking into the local hotels, namely 24%, followed by Oradea (20%) and Brasov (11.3%). Meanwhile, the number of arrivals in Bucharest hotels only went up by 3.5%.

editor@romania-insider.com