Hot weather boosts Europa Hotel revenues

Europa Hotel in Eforie Nord, part of the Ana Hotels hotel chain controlled by businessman George Copos, generated 40% higher revenues in May, compared with the past three years’ average, owing to the hot weather. The hotel’s occupancy rate also rose by 6% against May last year, to 50%.
This year, the company expects to derive a turnover worth 2.5m euros for the seaside hotels Europa (221 room capacity) and Astoria (97 room capacity), which would account for more than 13% of the turnover of all the hotels in Ana Hotels’ portfolio (excluding the Hilton, which is controlled through the Ath?n?e Phenix Group). The Astoria hotel opened for business on June 1.
“For the Europa Hotel, May brought higher revenues than the same period last year, but we also noticed some changes in the structure of customer segments,” stated Simona Constantinescu, a member of the Ana Hotels board.
Constantinescu explained that in the past, the occupancy rate was generated by business events (conferences, conventions, workshops), whereas this year the number of such events decreased in the overall accommodation nights. On the other hand, the number of individual leisure bookings registered a considerable increase, especially for treatment packages with the ANA Aslan Health Spa, the beauty and treatment centre operating within the hotel.
“Europa Hotel is open throughout the year, irrespective of season. This year, the warm weather in April and May boosted weekend and particularly Easter and May 1st bookings,” said Simona Constantinescu.
The 4-star Europa Hotel is part of Ana Hotels’ network, which also includes the 5-star Ath?n?e Palace Hilton and Crowne Plaza Hotels in Bucharest. The company also operates the Astoria Hotel and owns the Sport, Bradul and Poiana hotels in Poiana Brasov.
In 2006, the five hotels in Ana Hotels’ portfolio (excluding the Hilton) registered a turnover worth 16.9 million euros, up 11% on 2005, with the group estimating a turnover worth 18.4 million euros for this year.
Last year was a weak year for the occupancy rates of seaside hotels, with owners struggling to beat the 60% peak season average. However, this year, both occupancy rates and turnovers are expected to rise slightly.