Hilton hotel group has been the most active on the local market, opening the second unit in Romania this summer and announcing two more contracts to be signed this autumn.
John Litzenberger, Development Vice-President of Marriott International, stated that the company is currently negotiating with several investors interested in affiliating to the international chain.
Marriott plans to develop at least five Courtyard units on medium and long term.
Litzenberger specified that the cities envisaged for opening hotels under Courtyard brand are Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Sibiu or Targu-Mures.
The next Marriott hotel on the local hotel market will open in Bucharest, in Unirii area, nearby JW Marriott hotels. It will comprise 198 rooms and will be 4 star classified.
Accor French group will develop a network of 15 hotels under Etap brand, 2 star classified, over the next 10 years. The capital and the big cities where business tourism accounts for over 50% are envisaged for developing the hotels, stated Andre Cantiniaux, General Manager of Accor for Central and Eastern Europe.
Etap hotel in Brasov will have a capacity of 128 rooms, the investment reaching EUR 5-6 mil. In Timisoara, Accor will develop two projects, one Etap hotel with 123 rooms and a Novotel hotel, cumulating an investment of EUR 18 mil.
At present, Accor has six hotels on the local market, operated under Pullman, Ibis and Novotel brands.
Although over the last 2 years there have been speculations related to the entrance on the local market of Hyatt hotel, Gebhard Rainer, Hyatt Executive Manager for Europe, Africa and Middle East, stated that no contract has been signed yet. But it is certain that the first Hyatt hotel will open in Bucharest.
Starwood hotel chain will open the first Sheraton unit in Romania, in Cluj Napoca city. The hotel will be part of Tower I within Sigma Towers investment which includes two towers with 27 floors each, Tower I and Tower II and will be completed in 2012.
Kempinski luxury hotel chain confirmed the interest in the local market also for developing a luxury hotel in Bucharest, as well as in a mountain resort.
The most important hotel brands present in hotels in the country represent only 7.3% of the total number of existing rooms and half of the rooms are 4 star classified, but there is no brand on the economy segment, according to the data provided by Trend Hospitality, strategic partner of Wyndham American hotel group for Romania, Bulgaria and Republic of Moldova, owner of Ramada and Howard Johnson brands.
Romania and Slovenia register the lowest rate of hotel brands entering on their markets, namely 7.3% of the total number of existing rooms, while other countries in Europe, such as France, Spain, Hungary, Finland, exceed 40%.
Out of the total 6,389 rooms belonging to international brands, 1,415 are owned by Wyndham, 1,221 by Accor, 918 by Best Western, 770 by Golden Tulip and 447 by InterContinental Hotels Group.
1,104 hotels are present in Romania out of which 8% are 1 star units, 3% are 5 star classified and 1% are not classified.
Fivestar Hospitality Consulting 
