Polish hospitality for less
For 2004 the company reported growth of consolidated net profit by 20 percent to zł.50 million and consolidated sales revenues of zł.955 million (a 16 percent rise). The latest results, though important information for shareholders, is not the interesting part of what the operator of 67 hotels had to announce.
Fueled by EU integration, economic growth and a predicted inflow of tourism and business travelers, Orbis plans to enlarge its hotel base to 82 over the next four years. New investments are to swallow up some zł.686 million, and will help Orbis, 36 percent-owned by French Accor, to introduce economy hotels under a new brand, Etap, and build a few more of the already established Ibis brand, the second largest hotel chain in Europe. In total around 50 percent of Orbis venues will fit into the economy sector by 2009, compared to just 19 percent this year.
Why the shift? While strong on international five or four-star giants, with all the key players present, at least in Warsaw, Poland lacks good medium-priced accommodation in the capital as well as other parts of the country. Ibis, together with Campanille, Premiere Classe, Hotels 500 and Gromada add up to just 25 hotels. Not much, considering Ibis alone has 73 sites in Germany and some 336 in France.
A former state company which debuted on WSE 1997, Orbis is completing its restructuring process, which includes cutting employment by 500 to 4,800 within the next five years. Thus the employee per room ratio is expected to fall from 0.44 last year to 0.36 in 2009.
Fueled by EU integration, economic growth and a predicted inflow of tourism and business travelers, Orbis plans to enlarge its hotel base to 82 over the next four years. New investments are to swallow up some zł.686 million, and will help Orbis, 36 percent-owned by French Accor, to introduce economy hotels under a new brand, Etap, and build a few more of the already established Ibis brand, the second largest hotel chain in Europe. In total around 50 percent of Orbis venues will fit into the economy sector by 2009, compared to just 19 percent this year.
Why the shift? While strong on international five or four-star giants, with all the key players present, at least in Warsaw, Poland lacks good medium-priced accommodation in the capital as well as other parts of the country. Ibis, together with Campanille, Premiere Classe, Hotels 500 and Gromada add up to just 25 hotels. Not much, considering Ibis alone has 73 sites in Germany and some 336 in France.
A former state company which debuted on WSE 1997, Orbis is completing its restructuring process, which includes cutting employment by 500 to 4,800 within the next five years. Thus the employee per room ratio is expected to fall from 0.44 last year to 0.36 in 2009.
