Romanian entrepreneur Dragos Anastasiu, the Eurolines group's owner, plans to buy smaller hotels and guest houses in emerging tourist hotspots around the country and develop a hotel chain under the brand ROBELO (Romanian Best Locations).

He also plans to launch a new restaurant chain with Dragos Petrescu, the majority shareholder of City Grill, the biggest local restaurant company.

Dragos Anastasiu is one of the few investors in the tourism sector who has cash reserves. He sold one of the country's biggest tour operators to German group Dertour before the COVID-19 pandemic broke. Although the value of this deal was not disclosed, Profit.ro estimates that Anastasiu got over EUR 10 million from the sale.

The investor says that many small hotel owners have contacted him lately, looking to sell him their businesses. However, most of them would like to get out for good, while Anastasiu is looking for entrepreneurs who want to remain in the business and continue developing it.

"I'm interested in any location that is located in a special area and has an open-minded entrepreneur, to help financially and with management, but for him to stay there and optimize the business. I have a pretty big budget and a bank next to me. The plan is to develop a network of 25 locations in the next three years," Anastasiu told Profit.ro.

He is currently a shareholder in the Green Village resort in the Danube Delta and the Valea Verde compound in Cund, Transylvania.

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)