Bucharest hotel manager: “90% of our guests are foreigners”

Hotel Cismigiu, one of the oldest hotels in Romania’s capital Bucharest, has reached an occupancy rate of 85-88% in its best months of 2016 and 2017, with some 90% to 95% of its guests being foreign. The four-star hotel, which recently celebrated 5 years since its reopening under the Hotel Cismigiu name, and 105 years since its initial opening as the Palace Hotel, hosts more than 1,500 foreign guests each month. “The average stay is 2-3 nights in the business season, but as we have apartments, we also host families who stay longer. During the tourist season, the average stay is 4.5 nights,” Hotel Cismigiu director Georgeta Grecu told Romania-Insider.com. Most of the hotel’s foreign guests come from US, Germany, UK, France and Spain, some 9-10% each. During spring and autumn, most tourists come for business while July and August are the preferred months for leisure tourists. “August has become an increasingly better month for hotels in central Bucharest, as many families come to spend their holidays in Romania,” the hotel manager said. Hotel Cismigiu has one of the highest double occupation ratios in Bucharest during summer months, with an average 1.9 tourists checking into a room, compared to an average of 1.29 for hotels in Bucharest, according to the manager. “This year, we have hosted around 1,000 children in our apartments,” Grecu added. Most of the hotel’s foreign guests are interested in cultural activities, such as visiting museums, attending concerts, going to the Opera. They also enjoy visiting Bucharest parks or taking tours of old buildings in the city. Traditional Romanian restaurants or modern ones are also high on their list. Hotel Cismigiu is currently owned by Spanish group Hercesa, which revamped the derelict building of the former Palace Hotel and reopened it in 2012. The hotel has 60 two-room apartments, half of which also have small kitchens for long-term guests, and seven conference rooms. The hotel’s French restaurant Ici et La is located at the top floor and the Gambrinus beer house is at the ground floor. The Hotel’s building also hosts the Cervantes Institute in Bucharest and a Humanitas book store. editor@romania-insider.com (photo source: Hotel Cismigiu)