“The financial crisis is affecting the hotel market. A change in the type of businesspeople that come to Romania is becoming visible. People are paying more attention to prices, which means that companies have begun foregoing expensive hotels and services. We also have to be much more flexible in order to attract clients and maintain our revenues,” Strohmayer told Business Standard.
According to the JW Marriott official, the occupancy ratio exceeds 80 percent on weekdays but drops to 40-50 percent on weekends, as the number of tourists is closely related to the activity on the leisure segment. “October and November are two very good months for business, as on weekdays the occupancy ratio ranges from 85 to 100 percent,” added Strohmayer.
The company representative said that Marriott’s national expansion plans will not be affected by the financial crisis. The Cluj-Napoca and Timis cities are still priorities for the hotel chain, though it will be increasingly more difficult for investors to take out loans.
In order to boost the number of tourists that come to Bucharest on the leisure segment, Strohmayer’s recommendations are related to infrastructure issues, such as opening new coffee shops or expanding the subway network.
