“Romania’s market is still dominated by local chains, which means there is a lot of room for international brands. We want to develop our network. There are cities here where it makes sense to have hotels under franchise. I’m speaking of Brasov, Sibiu, Constanta,” Gilles Clavie told ZF.
In Romania, affiliation to an international chain stands at just 7-8%, compared with the 22% European average, according with the latest data available.
Clavie runs Poland’s biggest hotel group, with revenue of EUR162 million in 2013, listed on the Warsaw bourse. Accor holds 52% of the group’s stock. The executive came to Romania for the first time to meet the managers of the seven local hotels operating under Accor brands, but also potential local partners.
There are two ways to develop our network, either through own investments, or partnerships, through hotels under franchise or management contract, said Clavie.
Most hotels operating under international brands are present in Bucharest, Sibiu and Constanta. Cities such as Craiova have no international hotel brands. The Romanian market is less developed than neighboring ones.
Romania has seven hotels operating under Accor brands, with over 1,200 rooms.
Orbis Group will have the right to operate until 2035, with an exclusivity of 10 years, the Accor-branded hotels of 16 countries, including Romania.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)