The hotel sector is thriving in Prague, with tourist numbers and hotel occupancy rates and prices on the rise. Idnes.cz talked to Viliam Sivek who is among a growing group of hotel owners looking for expansion opportunities not only in Prague but also in the Czech regions. Sivek, who operates Hotel Kampa and Hotel Selský dvůr in Prague along with one hotel in Slovakia, says he is in negotiations to open a few new locations in central and southern Bohemia. Hotel occupancy rose to 82.6 percent on average in the first nine months of 2017, up by 5 percent y-o-y. In November, Sivek expects 76-percent occupancy, and his hotels are completely booked for December. Russian clientele as well as Italians and Germans are coming back to Prague. Asten Hotels is also planning to expand, but the company had to postpone its plans because of lack of potential staff. Occupancy in six Asten Hotels grew by 3 or 4 percent y-o-y in Prague and Český Krumlov and by 2.5 percent y-o-y in Špindlerův Mlýn.
