Romania’s hotel industry recorded one of the highest increases in turnover in the European Union in the first half of 2025, a robust performance that puts accommodation rates on a par with regional capitals such as Prague or Warsaw. However, the spectacular advance is almost exclusively underpinned by price increases, against a backdrop of stagnating nights spent in hotels and a high dependence on domestic tourism, raising questions about the long-term sustainability of the sector.
In the first semester of 2025, the turnover of the local hospitality industry grew by 19%, recording the third largest advance in the EU, after Greece at 35% and Hungary at 22%. However, this performance was driven by rate increases, as the number of nights spent in hotels grew by less than 4%, according to Colliers analysis based on Eurostat data.
At operational level, the occupancy rate in Romania rose by 4 percentage points to 65%, in line with the average for Central and Eastern Europe. Average daily room rates increased by 8% to EUR 55-65, comparable with Poland and the Czech Republic. In Bucharest, revenue per available room reached EUR 78, close to that of Warsaw and Prague at around EUR 80, and only 10% below Vienna.
However, the sector faces a major challenge in attracting international visitors. In the first half of the year, Romania recorded only 2.2 million overnight stays by foreign tourists, significantly below the 7.2 million in Poland or 6.1 million in Hungary. Foreigners accounted for only 22% of all overnight stays, the second lowest share in the EU, and over the last decade, growth in this segment has been only 23%, compared to 44% in Poland.
Analysts caution on the sustainability of this growth model, based on prices rather than volume. The economic backdrop, marked by inflation and new taxes in 2025, could put a brake on consumption, as consumer confidence has fallen to levels similar to those of the 2009-2010 crisis.
According to Colliers experts, although 2023-2025 has been a very good period for hoteliers, with net turnover more than 80% higher than in 2019, double the EU average, the future depends on attracting foreign tourists and moving away from inflation-driven price hikes to service diversification, innovation and cost efficiency.
In this context, the market is gearing up for a new phase of development, with at least 15 new hotels announced for the period 2025-2027. These investments, which include brands such as Corinthia and Accor, come on the back of an occupancy rate in Bucharest comparable to the peaks recorded after 2000 and the best first half of the last decade.