String of hotels to be built in Katowice

Katowice aspires to be a metropolis attracting tourists, investors and artists of world fame. The region is developing very quickly, and the city wants to be well prepared to be an optional site for Euro 2012, the European football championships.

As the daily newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza reports, accommodations for average tourists are the biggest problem. Katowice has only about 800 sleeping rooms of average standards.

That is far too few to house visitors for such events as the concert by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, not to mention Euro 2012.
So Katowice definitely needs development in this area. So far it has only Spodek, a great spectator arena, where all major events take place.

But that is not enough to keep tourists in this city or even the region. Having problems finding a “bed and breakfast,” they flee from Katowice looking for a more convenient place.

A good solution for Katowice would be building a few low-cost hotels for the average tourist who doesn’t need any extra facilities, but just wants to sleep in decent and clean conditions. Such hotels would bring a great benefit to restaurants, pubs and shops and also to museums, theaters and galleries.

Does the city have any hotel plans? A few have been started. Near expressway A4, next to the shopping center “Threeponds,” the building of the “System” hotel continues.

There will be more than 200 rooms of two- and three-star standards. Near Novotel, the two-star “Etap” hotel has been built.

Plans for the next few years include erecting two hotels: one next to Silesia Center and the other near Katowice Business Center. They will have a total of about 500 rooms, Gazeta Wyborcza reported.

These investments are a good step forward. But they are not enough. The center of Katowice needs renovation.

And hotels could be a major element of the city’s new image. The railway station area is sleazy. One attractive hotel would make the area more attractive to tourists. And it is not only the railway station area that needs revitalization.

Many other districts, squares and streets are neglected.
The city authorities have no precise plan yet. But derelict tenement houses could be renovated into small hotels and hostels. Such a development would revive the center of Katowice and make this place more hospitable for tourists, businessmen and particularly for students, who usually look for cheap accommodations in the center of the city.