Esplanade Expects 11 Percent More Guests in 2010

The Zagreb hotel The Regent Esplanade, which today celebrates its 85th birthday, had an average occupancy of 50 percent in the first four months of this year, and as they expect growth in the upcoming months, they predict that the average annual occupancy will be 11 percent higher than last year, according to the management of Esplanade.

Emphasizing that they are celebrating their 85th birthday in light of this year’s encouraging and better results than last year’s, Esplanade adds that this is the result of the Management’s decision to reposition in the market and a more flexible pricing policy, which in January of this year led to an increase in market share from 20 to 25 percent to 40 percent. This year, they note, there is also a noticeable change in the structure of their guests compared to previous years, with a slight decline in arrivals from distant countries such as the USA and Japan. However, Americans still make up the majority with a share of 16 percent, followed by domestic guests with a slightly increased share this year of 12 percent of the total number of guests.

Germans and guests from the United Kingdom account for about 7 percent, while Austrians, Japanese, and French make up about 4 to 5 percent. They also highlight an increase in arrivals from Spain, which they attribute to the introduction of new airline routes between Zagreb and Spanish cities. The majority of guests, or 51 percent, are individual business guests, 20 percent are business groups, 15 percent are tourist groups, and 14 percent are individual tourists. They plan to achieve an increase in average occupancy this year through further rationalization in operations that will not affect the high level of service, as well as investing in a product that will not only be diverse and luxurious but also tailored to the destination, making it usable and accessible. They will continue to invest in employee training programs, and they expect that this year’s stronger promotion and sales activities in domestic and foreign markets will also contribute to better results. (H)