True hotel market development will start when motorways are ready

Mircea Draghici, the first Romanian graduate of an MBA in Lausanne, one of the most prestigious hotel schools, believes the Romanian hotel market has a big growth potential, although its rise continues to be a moderate one, one of the reasons being the lack of investments in infrastructure. “We have many airports in Romania and we should make better use of them. Road infrastructure plays an important part here, and I think true development of the hotel market will start when motorways are ready,” said Draghici, who is currently project manager of hospitality consulting firm Fivestar Hospitality. Although many hotel operators have seen their occupancy degree down of late, which is blamed on the international crisis and on a rise in competition, Draghici believes that, as long as Romania’s economy keeps growing, so will the time spent by foreign tourists in Romanian hotels. “It’s true that the real estate crisis has affected hotel operators, and that the more expensive lending blocks some of the investments, but overall, the market will continue to grow,” he said.