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It’s been a rough couple of years<br />
for the Prague hotel sector, during<br />
which a number of luxury chains<br />
have excitedly entered the market,<br />
only to struggle to keep their occupancy<br />
rates up. Privately, a few nervously admitted<br />
that there were some weeks – even months<br />
– where only a handful of guests checked in.<br />
The situation now seems to be improving,<br />
however, with many establishments<br />
reporting an upswing in bookings for the<br />
summer season – a trend that they’re<br />
hoping is here to stay.<br />
Peter Knoll, general manager of the<br />
Kempinski Hybernská (kempinski.com),<br />
which opened during the height of the<br />
financial crisis, goes as far as predicting<br />
that the coming months will have city<br />
Although the economy<br />
is improving, many<br />
guests still book hotels<br />
very last-minute<br />
Opposite page and<br />
bottom right: The Icon<br />
Hotel knows that its<br />
bedrooms and bar need<br />
to offer something<br />
different to guests<br />
Below and right: The<br />
Kempinski Hybernská’s<br />
Presidential Suite with<br />
terrace, and its laid-back<br />
Lobby Lounge<br />
hotels filling up fast. “With this in mind,”<br />
he says, “we recommend booking early<br />
to avoid missing out.”<br />
Good advice, no doubt, except for the<br />
fact that early bookings are looking like<br />
a thing of the past. Although the Czech<br />
economy is improving, “many guests still<br />
book very last-minute,” notes Katerina<br />
Dvorakova, sales and marketing manager<br />
for the Buddha-Bar Hotel (buddha-barhotel.cz),<br />
a new high-end boutique in the<br />
city’s old town.<br />
Spoilt for choice?<br />
Renata Žižkovská, resident manager at<br />
The Icon Hotel (iconhotel.eu) – a cosy<br />
little venue off Wenceslas Square – has<br />
also noticed changes. There are now nearly<br />
700 hotels to choose from in Prague, and<br />
tourists have suddenly found themselves<br />
with the upper hand. Not only are they not<br />
booking in advance, but they’re also being<br />
more choosy, Žižkovská says – which gives<br />
smaller hotels an edge. “I think guests of<br />
boutique hotels tend to have the same<br />
standards,” she adds. “They are cool and<br />
different, and they want to stay in places<br />
PRAGUE HOTEL SECTOR \\\<br />
Brussels Airlines b.there! magazine August <strong>2011</strong> 55
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