The occupancy rate at Sofia’s Hilton hotel is 70%, up by 10% year-on-year, general manager Jacques Brune said on Tuesday, a month after his appointment to the position.
Over 52,600 guests have stayed at the hotel since January this year versus 44,200 in the like period os 2004.
Hilton is eyeing a leading position on Sofia’s five-star segment where it rubs shoulders with the Sheraton, Kempinski and Radisson chains.
Hilton International is mulling expansion in Bulgaria, said Brune, through its three and four-star hotel brand Scandic.
Business travellers are usually less than impressed with Bulgarian cities’ dirty streets, stray dogs and poor infrastructure, said the Hilton Sofia general manager.
Brune admitted that Ireland’s Quinn Group does hold a stake in Hilton Sofia, but would not give further details. In his words, the fund has strategic interests to invest in the region’s tourism industry.
An article in Irish Independent two months ago reported that Cavan-based billionaire Sean Quinn was on the verge of acquiring the 246-bed Sofia Hilton in Bulgaria for between 40 mln and 60 mln euro.
Some time earlier it had emerged that the Quinn Fund had bought nearly 50% of Hilton Sofia and was in talks with the other shareholders to acquire a majority stake. Until then ownership of the hotel was divided among French company Sibex (49.6%), the Sofia City Council (14%), Bulgarian construction company Glavbolgarstroy (12%) and Hilton International (24.4%)