Supply of top hotels rises in Polish capital: C&W

In the second quarter of 2009 the supply of chain hotels in Poland rose to include five new four- and five-star hotels, according to a new report by UK adviser Cushman & Wakefield. While most major Polish cities saw the completion of new hotel developments, Poznan lagged behind, particularly given the fact that the 2012 European Football Championships will be held in that city.

The Wroclaw market saw the opening of the Monopol Hotel (Likus chain) - a 121-room period hotel. It is only the third five-star hotel in Wroclaw, apart from the Sofitel and Radisson Blu Hotels.

Lodz finally saw the opening of its first four-star hotel: the 278-room Andels Hotel within the Manufaktura complex. It is the fourth Andels hotel managed by Vienne International and the second Andels hotel in Poland, after Krakow.

Supply in Gdansk rose to include two more hotels: the five-star Radisson Blu Hotel offering 134 rooms (the fifth hotel under this brand in Poland) and the four-star Qubus Hotel with 110 rooms.

Krakow saw the opening of the first Park Inn Hotel in Poland. The four-star hotel, which - as in the case of the Radisson Blu brand - is owned by the Rezidor Group, offers 152 rooms.

A major event in the investment market was the sale of the five-star Radisson Blu Hotel in Krakow, which had been on the market for five years.
Potential borrowers continue to face high requirements from banks as they have not softened their criteria for granting loans to finance new hotel developments.

The adviser claims the qualification of the Masurian Lake District and the Bia³owieza Forest for the finals of the New Seven Wonders of Nature contest in the landscape category could substantially contribute to the development of tourism in Poland. In the first stage of the contest the Masurian Lake District came first.