Howard Johnson forecasts 16.2m-euro business

Bucharest’s 5-star Howard Johnson hotel, has budgeted turnover worth 16.2 million euros this year, amid a 10% increase in prices. “This year, we forecast an 8% increase in business. The price increase will match inflation and market trends,” said Gratiela Badicu, the hotel’s marketing and sales manager. Other players on the market, such as Crowne Plaza, have also considered implementing higher prices due to the increasingly high costs. On the contrary, 4-star hotel operators, such as Ramada Plaza and the Rin Grand Hotel (the biggest 4-star hotel on the market) are considering operating lower prices Badicu added that the hotel industry would be boosted in part by large-scale events that will be held in Bucharest. The most important event to be hosted in the capital in 2008 will be the NATO summit in April, a conference with a budget worth 30 million euros.