“The average occupancy rate is 73% for the entire chain and is highest at Athenee Palace Hilton, 85%,” Christine Schillings, CEO of ANA Hotels, told ZF.
The hotels in the mountain resort of Poiana Brasov will operate at capacity during the Christmas holidays; foreigners make up about 40% of the guests, mainly Brits, Germans and Americans and the company is also targeting the French market. The growth in revenue comes from the rise in accommodation rates, she added.
Schillings, a Belgian native, with a 30-year experience in the Hilton chain, took the reins of the hotel company in April last year, after the daughter of George Copos, Alexandra Copos de Prada quit. The chain invested more than EUR2 million in complete refurbishment of the Bradul Hotel in Poiana Brasov early this year, after having done the same with Sportul. Poiana Brasov is Romania’s most popular ski destination.
Investment will continue next year, when the company will invest in a pool at its hotel in Eforie Sud seaside resort and hopes to start remodeling of the rooms at the Athenee Palace Hilton, Schillings said.
ANA Hotels, founded by businessman George Copos in 1996, has 975 rooms in hotels and is the biggest hotel company in Romania. It ended 2016 with 141 million lei (EUR31 million) and RON19.6 million net profit, up from RON127 million revenue and RON13.4 million net profit in 2015, according to Finance Ministry data.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)