When a building changes its function and becomes a hotel

According to Katarzyna Tencza, Associate Director of Walter Herz Hospitality Department, the motivation for investors to transform various types of buildings into hotels, is their attractive location. - Changing the character of the existing buildings is an interesting alternative for developers in the context of increasingly limited access to investment land in the best areas of the cities. If there is a local demand for hotel services, investors are willing to rebuild well-located facilities into hotels - admits Katarzyna Tencza. In the opinion of the specialist, it is a quick and verified way to meet the shortage of accommodation in a given area.

The reason for transforming the original function of the buildings is also the need to diversify the investment portfolio, as well as the willingness of developers to deliver projects of a different nature than previously implemented, for which there is more demand. - At the moment, this is the case in the largest office area in the country -Warsaw’s Służewiec, which until recently was characterized by a hermetic, office profile - says Katarzyna Tencza.

Not all buildings are suitable for a hotel

According to the expert, the features of the building itself are crucial in the implementation of the process of changing the status of a facility. They determine the possibility of transforming it into a hotel. The risk factor in this type of projects is the difficulty in accurately determining the actual technical condition of the facilities and their infrastructure, which makes it difficult to properly estimate the costs of the investment.

- Not all buildings are eligible to be adapted to a hotel function. For example, in the cube-shaped buildings, with mainly open spaces, it will not be easy to find a suitable room layout for the hotel due to the need to illuminate the central part of the facility - explains Katarzyna Tencza. - The central part of such buildings, which is not illuminated by daylight, is difficult to use in an optimal way. In consequence, it may have a negative effect on the later profitability of the real estate - admits Walter Herz specialist.

Warsaw office buildings are changing into hotels

Recently, there are more and more investments based on the conversion of various buildings into hotel facilities. They can be observed all over the country, because the demand for new accommodation is still very high in Poland. Among others, Warsaw's Grzybowska 43 office building located at the intersection of Waliców and Grzybowska Street has recently transformed into a hotel. The majority of the building will be occupied by ibis Styles, offering 220 rooms. The hotel is expected to host their first guests this year.

A similar transformation will be carried out in a six-storey office building under construction at 4 Postępu Street in Warsaw. It will be transformed into Vienna House Mokotów Warsaw hotel by the Austrian Vienna House chain. According to the original plans, the building was to be part of an office complex consisting of four buildings. The four-star facility will offer 164 rooms, a restaurant, several conference rooms and a fitness and wellness area. It will open this fall.

The most famous hotel of this brand, which also emerged as a result of the transformation of existing buildings, is Łódź’s Vienna House Andel's, arranged in the historic buildings of the former spinning mill of Izrael Poznański’s factory on Ogrodowa Street.

Children's hospital turned hotel

In Poznań, the famous Alpha is changing into a hotel. One of the skyscrapers of the retail and service complex located at Św. Marcin Street, is currently undergoing a comprehensive renovation. Domy Towarowe Alfa department stores were built in this area at the turn of the 60s and 70s. Nowadays, they mainly house offices, banks and restaurants.

The former children's hospital located at Aleja Kasprowicza Street in Wrocław will also be transformed. The building will include 115 rooms and suites for a longer stay, as well as a restaurant and Wellness&SPA area.

Moreover, a three-star hotel will soon open in the historic, four-storey "skyscraper" with an "extension" from 1928, located on the corner of Jana z Kolna and Portowa Streets in the center of Gdynia. The building, which is one of the oldest monuments in the city, has so far had office, commercial and retail functions.

Hotel in a sugar refinery

One of the most interesting projects in the designing phase is the hotel and recreation center, which is to be built on the premises of Pelplin sugar refinery in the Pomeranian region. Also in the Pomerania, in the former Mostostal office building in Chojnice, a hotel with accommodation for 250 visitors is to open.

After 120 years, the historic Steinert Palace located at Piotrkowska Street in Łódź, will also be restored. After the renovation, the building from 1909, which so far housed apartments and the headquarters of the National Heritage Institute, will offer modern offices, hotel and catering facilities.

Hotel in a cinema and a piano factory

The new owner of the former Michał Ludwik Dobrowolski’s Wadding and Bandages Factory in Cracow, after the modernization and expansion of the facility is also considering the introduction of a hotel function in the investment. The tenement house where the iconic Ars cinema is located is also likely to change into a new, Cracow hotel. The investor admits that such a scenario has the greatest chance of implementation due to the rich hotel tradition of this building, dating back to the mid-nineteenth century.

This year, Hampton by Hilton Kalisz hotel, located in the historic piano factory in Kalisz is expected to host their first guests. The facility will offer almost 100 rooms, conference rooms, a fitness center, a swimming pool and a SPA.

The Radziwiłł palace in Biała Podlaska is also awaiting reconstruction. According to the design assumptions, a hotel facility will be located within the residence. Currently, the city is gradually revitalizing the Radziwiłł park, including the amphitheater located on the premises.

Hotel rooms in barracks

The revitalization project of the Modlin fortress near Warsaw has the greatest investment momentum, even on a European scale. The fortress includes military barracks located on the area of over 450 hectares, with the longest building in Europe and one of the longest in the world. The citadel, which is the main element of the fortress, is 2,250 meters long. The investor announces construction of, among others, the largest congress center in this part of Europe, as well as hotels, a residential estate and office, commercial and retail space. The project phase of the investment is to end this year and its implementation is to take 5-7 years.

Two hotels and an office and conference space will be built in the former Dom Towarowy Posejdon department store, and later Galeria Centrum mall in Szczecin. This investment will be developed in accordance with a modern design based on three pillars: two Marriott hotels, modern offices and a small retail part.

The former clothing manufacturer Dana has been transformed into a palace-style hotel in Szczecin. A magnificent building from the 1920s, located at the corner of Odzieżowa and Aleja Wyzwolenia Streets, is now attracting visitors with the renewed, beautiful interiors decorated with splendor.

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When a building changes its function and becomes a hotel

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