Hilton's newly-opened hotel in Warsaw is due to bring £15m ($20m) in new business to the Polish capital through meetings and events, according to general manager, Bert Fol.
The hotel has 15 international congresses confirmed for this year - equivalent to 10,000 additional in-house guests in the city - and a further 30 are set for 2008.
Explaining the knock-on benefits of the hotel's revenue, Fol said: ”Conferences sustain a broad supply chain and putting this city on the world conference map is just as important for Warsaw as it is for Hilton.
”A 2005 analysis by Deloitte showed that for every £1 spent at a hotel, almost £1.50 flows outside the property and into the community on activities ranging from transport and entertainment, to local manufacturers that supply gifts for delegates.”
All of the confirmed conferences for 2007 are meeting in Poland for the first time. Business comes primarily from the UK and US markets, as well as The Netherlands, Israel, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium. The congresses are dominated by the education, retail, pharmaceutical, trade and chemical industries.
”Warsaw is the capital of a newly listed EU country,” said Fol, adding: ”It”s in the heart of Europe, flights are frequent and also well served by low-cost airlines and the Polish people are not only hard working, but extremely creative.
”Now it has a purpose-built conference hotel, and with the help of WDA (Warsaw Destination Alliance), the city hall and the convention bureau partners, the indicators are there for Warsaw to become the leading meetings destination in Eastern Europe.”