The Russian hotel market has been developing at a fairly rapid pace over the past few years, which is largely due to the following factors.

1. Increasing tourist interest in the Russian Federation from the world community, expressed by the positive dynamics in the number of tourist arrivals, where the Russian Federation over the past few years has constantly been included in the TOP 10 countries in the world according to the “International Tourist Arrivals” indicator, according to the World Tourism Organization UNWNO (Table 5).

Table 5. Dynamics and forecast of international tourist arrivals in the Russian Federation

2. Positive dynamics of growth of domestic tourist flow in the Russian Federation, which is confirmed by data Federal service state statistics of the Russian Federation, VTsIOM and the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (Table 6).

Table 6. Dynamics of domestic tourist flows in the Russian Federation

			Number of tourist trips, million people.
			the increase by 2014 could be from 30 to 50%

Thus, domestic tourism is growing by an average of 5-6 % in year.

• 3. Creation of a favorable investment climate for the development of hotel activities both in the Russian Federation as a whole and in individual regions and cities of the country. Among the main activities the following activities can be noted:
  • creation of special economic zones of the tourist and recreational type (SEZ TRT) for the development of tourism and hotel activities on their territory;
  • development of the program “Location of hotel infrastructure facilities in St. Petersburg”, which appeared in 2004 in order to increase the investment attractiveness of St. Petersburg and promote accelerated market development hotel services. As part of this program, an “Address List of Buildings and Land Plots for Accommodation of Hotel Infrastructure Facilities” has been prepared and is constantly updated. The provision of land plots and other real estate to investors at the addresses specified in the list for the placement of hotel infrastructure facilities is carried out based on the results of bidding held in the form of an open competition, or for a specific purpose in accordance with a government decision. A similar document exists in Moscow “Industry scheme for the placement of hotels in the city of Moscow”;
  • tax preferences for hotels. For example, in Moscow, the Moscow City Duma approved benefits for hotels, which are aimed at developing domestic tourism and supporting the FIFA World Cup in 2018. The benefit will be valid from 2015 until January 1, 2020 (the authorities do not rule out that benefits may be extended). Organizational property tax will not be imposed on the minimum area of ​​the room stock, multiplied by a factor of 2. At the same time, benefits are provided for hotels that undergo classification before 2016 and confirm their “star rating”. Besides, we're talking about about the number of rooms located in buildings subject to property tax at cadastral value;
  • Committee for Tourism Development of St. Petersburg to support investors ready to invest in hotels economy class, on behalf of the governor, a special investment program is being prepared for the construction of 3-star hotels, etc.

According to BusinesStat and DISCOVERY Research Group, the value of the hotel services market in the Russian Federation has a gradual increasing trend for the period 2002-2008. (before the crisis) it grew at an average growth rate of approximately 20%, and over the past few years after 2009, the average growth rate is 12.9% per year (Fig. 6).

At the same time, it is important to note that this moment the largest share in the turnover of the hotel sector - up to 70% - belongs to Moscow and St. Petersburg, but the representation of regions is increasing every year.

It is important to note that, according to expert forecasts presented within the framework of the federal target program“Development of domestic and inbound tourism in Russian Federation

Rice. 6.

(2011-2018)”, laid down in the state program of the Russian Federation “Development of culture and tourism” for 2013 - 2020, the volume of paid services of hotels and similar accommodation facilities will gradually grow and by 2018 could reach 500 billion rubles. (Table 7).

Table 7. The main basic and forecast indicators for the development of the hotel industry in the Russian Federation until 2018 based on the Federal Target Program “Development of Domestic and Inbound Tourism in the Russian Federation (2011-2018)”, laid down in the state program of the Russian Federation “Development of Culture and Tourism” for 2013-2020 gg.

	organizations
2015 (forecast of Rostourism)

Table 8. Hotels and similar accommodation facilities in the Russian Federation

	organizations	Their one-time capacity, thousand seats
Forecast of the Federal Tourism Agency

The number of hotels and similar accommodation facilities in the Russian Federation, according to the Federal State Statistics Service and BusinesStat, has been growing steadily over the past 10 years, and over the past 5 years, the number of hotel establishments in Russia has grown by 36.2% and reached 10,714 properties in 2014 ( Table 8).

In table 8 until 1995, the data are presented without taking into account hotels that were on the balance sheet of collective and state farms, and since 2005, the data are presented taking into account individuals, carrying out entrepreneurial activity without education legal entity(individual entrepreneurs).

It's important to note that hotel market even with these indicators, it is not saturated and has good growth potential. Currently in the Russian Federation the rate of provision of hotel beds is about 4.5 beds per 1 thousand inhabitants, while in Europe there are 13-35 beds. In Moscow this figure is close to 10, in St. Petersburg - to 8 places. The average value of the coefficient of provision of hotel rooms in the administrative centers of the corresponding regions included in the Golden Ring of the Russian Federation, according to the Blackwood company, is

2.1 rooms per 1 thousand inhabitants.

Thus, in Sergiev Posad the provision of hotel rooms is 1.5 rooms per 1 thousand inhabitants, Ivanovo - 1.8, Yaroslavl - 2, Kostroma - 2.1, Vladimir - 2.6 rooms per 1 thousand inhabitants.

According to the International Economic Forum's The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015, Russia ranks 90th out of 141 countries in the world in terms of the number of hotel rooms per 100 people. population (Table 9).

The majority of hotel establishments in Russia are hotels. In 2014, the share of hotels among all hotel-type organizations was 86.6% (Fig. 7). It should also be noted that out of the entire hotel market, clients prefer hotels.

Territorial zoning of the hotel market of the Russian Federation by federal districts of the country, according to the Federal State Statistics Service, shows that the largest percentage of hotels and similar accommodation facilities, just over 66% of the all-Russian figure, is concentrated in four federal districts: Central Federal District, Southern Federal District, Volga Federal District, Siberian Federal District ( Fig. 8).

			Cape Verde
			Croatia
			Switzerland
	Seychelles		Norway
	Iceland		Bulgaria
	Montenegro		Ireland
	Barbados		Luxembourg
	New Zealand		Czech Republic
			Russian Federation

Rice. 7.

At the same time, considering the regional division, most hotels and similar accommodation facilities are found in Krasnodar region, Moscow, Tyumen region, St. Petersburg and Sverdlovsk region.

Overall in Lately There has been a tendency for the hotel industry to increasingly gravitate toward Russian regions - many hotel developers who previously worked only in large cities are now trying to develop remote territories of the Russian Federation.

Rice. 8.

Rice. 9.

The segment of recreation centers, campsites and other recreation organizations is most actively developed and represented in the Southern Federal District, which has a significant gap from its two followers: the Volga and Siberian Federal Districts (Fig. 9).

The hotel industry is quite attractive from the point of view of investors, and, according to experts from CBRE Group Inc., a world leader in the field of commercial real estate, in 2014 the volume of investments in the hotel segment in Russia amounted to $530 million, which is 15% of the total volume of investment in commercial real estate.

Today in Russia, according to specialists from the INFOLine news agency, who analyzed federal and regional programs for the development and modernization of accommodation facilities, regional tourism development programs and preparation programs for major sporting events, 180 projects for the construction of hotel facilities in Russia are presented (projects 2014-2017). At the same time, about 45% of these objects are already at the construction stage, 25% are at the project stage, and the remaining 30% are under construction. preparatory work and whether the zero construction cycle has already begun. The undoubted leaders in the development of investment projects in the hotel industry of the Russian Federation are

Rice. 10.

The Moscow region and the Northwestern Federal District are located, followed by the Volga and Southern Federal Districts

Investments in the construction of one facility in the Russian Federation in most cases range from 20 to 250 million dollars, while investment projects various types of hotel facilities: hotels themselves, sanatoriums, hotels in various multifunctional complexes, boutique hotels, apartments, etc. (Fig. 10).

It is also important to note that, unfortunately, 80% of new hotels in the Russian Federation are built using credit money and the current political and economic situation in the country may somewhat adjust the planned plans of hotelier investors, since some hotel projects have already begun to be “frozen.” In addition, many investors, in order to reduce payback periods and reduce risks, are considering the construction of hotels as part of multifunctional complexes, including, in addition to hotels, office, residential and shopping and entertainment areas.

The largest number of hotels and similar accommodation facilities in the Russian Federation are privately owned, accounting for 91.2% of all hotel establishments in the country (Fig. 11).

According to BusinesStat estimates, the real volume of the hotel services market in the Russian Federation, on average over the past few years, is at the level of 78.1 million person-days. Thus, in 2010 it amounted to 77.7 million person-days, in 2011 - 87 million person-days of stay, in 2013 over 42.5 million stayed in hotels in the country

Rice. 12.

Rice. 11. Differentiation of hotels and similar accommodation facilities in the Russian Federation by type of ownership (2014), %

people and there were 72.8 million overnight stays, and in 2014 there were 75 million overnight stays. However, this indicator is still relatively small compared to many European countries, where it exceeds the indicators of the Russian Federation by 4-5 times, but is very close to the average indicator of the European Union countries (Fig. 12).

Guests of hotels and similar accommodation facilities in the Russian Federation by geographic (territorial) division are distributed as follows:

• The bulk of the market consists of consumers from Russia, as shown by the TripBarometer study from TripAdvisor, where the percentage of Russians staying in hotels in Russia is 85%. In particular, this fact and the structure of consumer spending of the population of the Russian Federation, where, according to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, the item “hotels, cafes and restaurants” accounts for less than 3%, largely determines the rather modest cost indicators of the hotel industry in the Russian Federation, presented in data Fig. 6 (Table 10);
• According to various estimates, the share of foreigners is about 11-15%, which cannot be ignored.

According to the Association of Business Tourism (ABT), about 60% of Russian hotel guests are business tourists, and in cities with high business activity this percentage is even higher.

In this regard, the Association of Business Tourism (ABT) adopted the “Certification of Business and Conference Hotels” program, based

Table 10. Structure of consumer spending of the population of the Russian Federation in 2014

Name of groups of goods and services	Specific gravity, %
Food and non-alcoholic drinks
Alcoholic drinks, tobacco products
Clothes and shoes
Housing services, water, electricity, gas and other fuels
Household items, Appliances and daily home care
Healthcare
Transport
Organization of recreation and cultural events
Education
Hotels, cafes and restaurants
Other products and services

bathroom in a survey of business tourism specialists, which helped to identify the main factors determining the choice of accommodation facility. The first positions in the ranking were taken by such criteria as the convenience of the hotel’s location, i.e. Well-established transport links to train stations, airports, exhibitions and districts business activity cities; recommendations from colleagues and level of service. At the same time, 92% of representatives of the business tourism industry are confident that a hotel must have high speed internet, and access to it should be open in all in public places- restaurant, hall, lobby and even in the corridor. Among the necessary services were the presence of air conditioning (77%), an ATM at the hotel or in its immediate vicinity (73%), the ability to use a credit card when paying at the hotel (62%), the presence of a safe (54%), and a hairdryer (50). %), a business center (50%), a service for ordering and delivering food to your room (50%), as well as additional electrical outlets that allow you to simultaneously charge a laptop, smartphone and other devices (38%).

It is important to note that despite the visible positive trends in the development of the hotel industry in the Russian Federation and the clear prospects for its development in the future, in this segment of the tourism industry there are still a number of problems that require prompt and high-quality solutions, among which the following can be noted:

• 1) the outdated number of rooms in many accommodation facilities in the Russian Federation, especially those built more than 30 years ago (more than 50% of hotels are objects of the Soviet era), requiring renovation;
• 2) bureaucratic difficulties and encumbrances when allocating land for the construction of hotel industry facilities;
• 3) a shortage of high-quality 3-star accommodation facilities for the development of both business tourism and cultural and educational tourism, which is due in recent years to the increase in a large number of new construction facilities positioned in the 4-5-star segment;
• 4) high prices for hotel services of Russian accommodation facilities;
• 5) lack of professional personnel in the hotel business and insufficient level of training of specialists working in the field of tourism, shortage of mid- and junior-level specialists, reluctance of higher education graduates educational institutions work in entry-level positions in hotels (maids, waiters, etc.) and very often attract foreign citizens to these positions;
• 6) relatively low hotel occupancy rates in Russian regions, which is facilitated by the state of the regional tourism infrastructure, and primarily transport.

Self-test questions

• 1. At what rate is the number of hotels and similar accommodation facilities changing in the global hotel services market?
• 2. Which region of the world has the highest rate of new hotel openings?
• 3. According to the Global Travel Economy Report, what are the top factors that are important to the average international hotel guest?
• 4. List the main factors for the rapid growth of the Russian hotel market over the past few years.
• 5. What are the current indicators of the provision of hotel rooms in Russian cities in the Russian Federation and how do these values ​​correspond to European ones?
• 6. Which three federal districts of the Russian Federation show the largest percentage of hotels and similar accommodation facilities from the Russian accommodation services market?
• 7. What percentage in the structure of consumer spending of the population of the Russian Federation, according to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, is accounted for by the item “hotels, cafes and restaurants”?
• 8. List the main problems in the development of the hotel business in the Russian Federation.

Hospitality has traditionally remained a highly segmented service in demand. Only in this area can you find a wide variety of quality and service. The annual analysis of the hotel market confirms the always available business capacity, at least for those who are ready to enter a non-competitive environment. At the top of the ratings as always large companies, increasingly acquiring the features of network retailing with aggressive methods promotion.

Opening your own hotel business falls into the category of long-term investments. For this reason, novice businessmen need to know the intricacies of the hotel business and have near-term statistics.

🔥Who are the competitors?

The high intensity of the hotel business is represented in regions with high tourist traffic. These are the federal capitals Moscow, St. Petersburg, and now Simferopol. There are always a lot of guests and business travelers in the resort area - Sochi, Kaliningrad and the Black Sea coast. This line of business is no less in demand in industrial centers - Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk. Among those awaiting the flow of clients is a tenth of the regions that welcome guests who come to various festivals or to study cultural heritage.

It is too early to talk about chain retail of the hotel business in Russia. Each region has its own leaders. Meanwhile, in analyzes of the hostel market by leading rating agencies, four brands are increasingly highlighted: Azimut, Heliopark Hotel, the Russian Hotels group of companies and Intourist. The research does not yet include the fairly large, dynamically developing chain of hotels and hotels "Amax", represented in 22 Russian cities.

It will be very difficult to develop a business in the location where one of these brands is present, since these companies rely on existing practices, professional staff and modern instruments promotion.

If we turn to research into a narrower segment, for example, to analyze the Moscow hostel market, then in the capital the market capacity and business liquidity always remain high. In 2012 alone, this market niche showed a fourfold increase in key indicators. In the year 2016, Moscow had a stock of 52,000 rooms. The capital welcomed the 2018 World Cup with 950 hotels. And this is not counting the owners of vacant apartments who took an active part in accommodating the incoming flow. Price tags are known to all Russians firsthand. For 2019 and the future, Moscow will have a commemorative arsenal of various kinds of hostels and hotels in the amount of thousands.

💼Composition of participants, business strategies

The business structure remains quite diverse. Following the example of foreign countries, the Russian consumer approaches the choice of rooms quite practically - according to the available budget. The composition of participants and the level of service for 2019 is already being adjusted based on the results of the completed program “Development of Domestic and Inbound Tourism in the Russian Federation” for 2011-2018. Also, when compiling the rating, the requirements of the mandatory classification of hotels with more than 15 rooms, starting in 2019, were taken into account.

Analysis of the hotel market by type of room stock shows different consumer preferences and the level of compliance provided by entrepreneurs. It is quite difficult to understand the detailed classification, which is why organizers of mass trips and business travelers often resort to it.

In Russia, hotel market statistics are supported by all types of services, while enterprises choose unified strategy"composition" of tariffs. This different kinds number of rooms at one point of sale, availability additional services, paid separately. A striking example Such service is food or the provision of treatment (in sanatoriums). Thus, the consumer reserves the right to choose the set of services he needs, which is available to him according to his needs and budget.

🔝Potential for increasing client flow, issues

According to statistics, the hotel business in Russia lags far behind the world level. And the point here is not so much the service as the skillful management of enterprises. Analytical agencies often point out the lack of interaction with apparently related industries, such as tourism and cultural, sports and other public events. The lack of potential lies in the low level of readiness to maneuver the service. For example, a group of corporate tourists, before departure, requests a certain number of rooms of a certain level at the place of their future stay. In the absence of a full supply, the company processing the application will be able to provide either part of the need or risk losing the client completely. In this regard, the “star rating” of hotels according to the classification has dual effectiveness.

Considerable success has been achieved in the industry in attracting foreigners. Attraction transport companies for organizing transfers, local authorities and cultural workers once again proves that hotel business works perfectly in a state of symbiosis.

💰Business profitability

According to 2018 data, the average occupancy of rooms was 54%. Such indicators in the industry were achieved thanks to the activity of entrepreneurs and the introduction of a number of government programs. From the point of view of investment attractiveness, business payback horizons range from 5 to 15 years. Despite the obvious profitability of the lacking middle class fund, developers continue to focus specifically on upgrading hotels to the highest class or constructing new buildings.

The hotel business in Russia remains attractive for both entrepreneurs and investors. Additional industry catalysts include support government agencies and interaction with related businesses.

According to the #MARKETBEAT report from Cushman & Wakefield, 2019 for the Moscow hotel market may become a year of sobering and “price wars” between hotels. The effect of increasing hotel revenues caused by increased demand in the wake of the 2018 FIFA World Cup has been completely exhausted: demand has returned to its usual volumes and is sensitive to price fluctuations.

The past 2018 was marked by strong influence 2018 FIFA World Cup: record demand for hotels in Moscow at the beginning of summer had a positive impact on hotel profitability, while hoteliers mainly concentrated on achieving the maximum level of tariffs, while the average monthly occupancy level for the market as a whole in June-July did not reach 90%.

If we talk about the results of the year, the average market occupancy level for hotels of modern quality in 2018 reached 76.6%, an increase of 4 percentage points. higher than a year earlier. The leaders in terms of the volume of overnight stays sold were hotels in the Midscale and Upscale segments: they recorded an average annual occupancy of 80.4%. The minimum increase in occupancy was observed only in the high segment, where the change was only 1 percentage point. But placement prices increased in all segments, without exception, by an average of 38.4% (from 6,428 rubles in 2017 to 8,898 rubles for the same period in 2018). During the 2018 World Cup, hotels in the Luxury segment managed to make the most money from guests (+55.0%, up to RUB 21,645).

As a result, hotels in all price segments, without exception, demonstrated excellent growth rates in revenue per available room (RevPAR). According to Cushman & Wakefield, the average annual change in yield per room for the market as a whole was 46.1% in rubles and 36% in US dollars.

However, by the end of the year, the “effect of the 2018 World Cup” was practically exhausted, says Marina Usenko, partner in the hotel business and tourism department at Cushman & Wakefield.

“Based on a retrospective analysis of the activities of the hotel markets of other cities and countries that hosted the World Cup and similar mega-sporting events, market participants expected that the “effect of opening a new tourist destination” would work, as happened, say, in Barcelona after the 1992 Summer Olympics , where in less than a ten-year period the annual number of visitors doubled - from 3 million in the early 90s to 7 million in 2010. However, one of the most important mechanisms for such radical changes in the Moscow hotel market, discussed by the Russian Government immediately after the end of the World Cup, The 2018 visa regime reforms, which, according to experts, could increase the number of visitors to the country’s traditional “tourist capitals” - Moscow and St. Petersburg - by 10-20% per year, have not yet received further development. We can only hope that we will still see the result, albeit with some delay,” noted Marina Usenko.

According to the expert, 2019 has every chance of becoming a year of general sobering up and even “price wars” between Moscow hotels. “Therefore, the situation for the participants will not be easy. So far, we see that there are no prerequisites for the growth of operating revenues of Moscow hotels above the level of predicted inflation,” says Marina Usenko.

The supply of modern quality has grown sharply in 2017-2018 - about 2,500 “keys”, and the market has yet to “digest” this volume. The quality supply market in Moscow has grown by 4% over the past year, and by almost 9.5% in 2017. In 2019, a total of 715 hotel rooms are planned to be commissioned in 4 hotel projects: Holiday Inn Express Baumanskaya, Crowne Plaza Park Huaming, Mercure Neglinnaya and Hampton by Hilton Rogozhsky Val. Thus, the net expected increase in supply modern standard in Moscow in 2019 is estimated at only 3.6%.

The next “leap” in supply growth should be expected no earlier than 2021, the expert is convinced. “The lack of radical changes in the economy is forcing hotel investors to shift the planned start dates of construction of announced projects to later and later dates, resulting in the expected average growth rate of supply between 2019-2024. will amount to only 5.6% per year,” sums up Marina Usenko.

“Price wars” will be caused by the fact that the increase in supply, alas, is not accompanied by a commensurate increase in demand. In addition, demand will continue to demonstrate high price sensitivity. The reason for this is the low growth rate of the national economy, the permanent situation with economic and political sanctions, an increase in the tax burden (including an increase in VAT from 18% to 20%) and the periodic weakening of the ruble.

The most striking Moscow premieres of the past year - buildings are being built for Mandarin Oriental, which plans to manage not only a hotel opposite the Kremlin, but also residential residences (an agreement was signed with Capital Group), and the long-awaited Fairmont - the operator will take care of the hotel and apartments on Tverskaya (Vesper project).

Penta Hotels Worldwide - the brand is part of the Rosewood Hotel Group (an international operator based in Hong Kong) - opened its first hotel on Novy Arbat, in The Book. This project from Capital Group also has service apartments, but under the management of Intermark Hospitality (a company created to serve international corporate clients).

Corinthia Hotels Group, owned by IHI plc, announced its entry into the Moscow market. The Corinthia Hotel & Residences in Moscow on Tverskaya 10 plans to create a luxury hotel and branded serviced apartments for sale.

Another newcomer is the Japanese chain Toyoko Inn, the construction of a hotel has been approved by the Moscow authorities and is planned in the Krasnoselsky district of Moscow.

Chains such as Mandarin Oriental and Corinthia Hotels have made repeated attempts to gain a foothold in various projects over the past 10-15 years, says Marina Smirnova, partner, head of the hotel and tourism department at Cushman & Wakefield. According to her, Moscow is recognized as a major global networks with Luxury brands one of the “key cities of the world”.

Most of the announced projects include not only hotel rooms, but also apartments. Experts consider this a global trend. “Management of residences and apartments is one of the stages of market development, when traditional accommodation is already presented in various formats and price levels. It’s logical that investors, operators, and guests are looking for something new,” says Tatyana Belova, Deputy Director, Head of the Hospitality Industry Division of CBRE’s Strategic Consulting Department.

Head of the hotel business department at JLL Tatyana Weller adds that the German chain Meininger Hotels has come to St. Petersburg with a hybrid hotel and hostel in Nikolskie Ryad.

In total, according to Weller, there are currently 14 international operators operating in Russia, who together manage a portfolio of 40 brands in the country.

There are more Russian hotels

There are more chain hotels managed by Russian operators in the country than hotels under international brands by 1.5 times – 310 versus 201, according to a PwC study. But the number pools of Russian and foreign operators are equal – 43,000 numbers for each group. Currently, facilities managed by network operators are located in 119 localities in Russia, of which Russian operators are represented in 104, international operators in 42, according to a PwC study in Russia.

Accor, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, Radisson have been working in the Russian market for a long time, says Belova. The portfolio of each of the named operators includes a line of brands, some of which are not yet represented in Russia. In the coming years, Bulgari and AC by Marriott from Marriott International, HyattPlace from Hyatt Hotels Corporation, etc. may appear in the country.

Operators are especially interested in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as Sochi. Belova mentions active interest from not only Mandarin Oriental, but also Jumeirah, Melia, etc. In St. Petersburg, according to the expert, you can find Belmond, Corinthia and Rocco Forte Hotels, in the regions - AccorHotels, Best Western, Domina Hotel Group , Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group, Kempinski, Lotte Hotels, Louvre Hotels Group, Marriott International, Radisson Hotel Group, Sokos Hotels, Wyndham Hotel Group. And many continue to expand.

Moscow and St. Petersburg are markets with a high share of business tourism and a high concentration of effective demand, explains the preferences of networks by the Deputy Director of the Strategic Consulting Department Colliers International Evgenia Tuchkova.

61% of the total volume of international hotels is in the portfolios of four players: Radisson Hotel Group (the largest operator by number of rooms in Russia, 9930), AccorHotels, Azimut Hotels, Marriott International. In Moscow, international hoteliers form a third of the quality hotel market (not including hostels, mini-hotels, departmental hotels), in St. Petersburg their share is estimated at 44%.

According to Anna Danchenok, head of the strategic consulting group in the real estate sector at PwC, 69% of the room stock of Russian operators is formed by hotels of three stars or less, 85% of the international stock is located in hotels of 4 stars or more.

Photo gallery

Hotels in Moscow

Regions – three stars

To enter regional markets, according to Tuchkova, 3-4 star hotels in the middle price segment are more suitable. They are more efficient and resilient in times of economic instability.

According to Weller, of the 216 branded hotels in Russia, more than half (123) are located outside of Moscow, the Moscow region and St. Petersburg. Among the openings in 2018 are hotels in Novorossiysk (Hilton Garden Inn) and Yelabuga (Ramada H&S in the Alabuga SEZ). Two hotels opened in Saransk at once - Mercure and Four Points by Sheraton. AccorHotels recently announced the opening of hotels in Blagoveshchensk and Yakutsk, Inter Continental Hotels Group - in Arkhyz, adds Tuchkova. According to JLL, the plans of international operators for 2019 include Voronezh, Perm, Kislovodsk, etc.

If all announced projects are implemented by 2021, the number of rooms in international hotels will exceed the Russian one by 3–5%, predicts Oleg Malyshev, partner, head of the service delivery practice consulting services real estate companies PwC.

It is the middle price segment that will remain the most competitive, spurred by the growth of domestic tourism (5–7% over the last three years). " Russian operators, operating predominantly in the democratic segment, will be forced to take on the challenge of international brands in their field,” says the PwC study.

Country prospects

A niche that is little explored but interesting for foreigners is the format of country hotels. As noted by the head of the department for the development of alternative territories investment company Key Capital Elizaveta Martynova, on average in the Moscow region their occupancy rate is 55%. But interesting or relevant formats are filled by more than 80% on average for the year. This means that for the most popular holiday dates, it is no longer possible to book places in such hotels 2-3 months in advance. Among these, Martynova names Imperial, individual objects of the Heliopark network, Mistral, a hotel in the village of Velich, Les Art Resort, and individual small objects not under the control of large operators - an example is a number of objects in the Tver region. In winter, holiday homes near ski resorts in the Dmitrov direction are traditionally popular.

So far, the presence of foreign operators in the Moscow region is the exception rather than the rule. “Most of the country hotels are private small business, this is either a guest house or several cottages, but without a clear concept, pricing policy and a properly constructed promotion plan. As a result, country hotels (which still have a lot of untapped potential) show miracles of occupancy on weekends, and are empty from Monday to Thursday,” says Victoria Voronkova, general manager of apart-hotels at Zenith PM Management Company.

However, according to Belova, projects with international brands are already working in the country hotel market, both under franchises and under direct management agreements. These include Radisson Blu in Zavidovo (Tver region), Hilton Garden Inn New Riga"and Holiday Inn Vinogradovo (Moscow region), "Azimut Pereslavl-Zalessky" (Yaroslavl region). Several projects are at various stages of implementation.

According to experts, iconic objects have not appeared on the country market for a long time. However, Rixos Hotels announced plans to expand in the capital region, while the chain is represented by a single hotel in Krasnaya Polyana. According to the chairman of the board of Rixos, Fettah Taminji, the chain is actively searching and at the stage of negotiations to find sites in the Moscow region, where it plans to build a 5-star country hotel with an all exclusive service system, which is now being tested in Abu Dhabi. “We are considering the possibility of building a resort hotel in the Moscow region, where Muscovites would come for weekends or spend their holidays. Hotels inside Moscow are for visitors, but I’m more interested in Muscovite clients,” said Taminji.

According to Martynova, the emergence of complex formats of country hotels that are attractive to consumers, a kind of “place of attraction” managed by well-known international chains, can revive the country holiday market and make weekend tourism more popular. “Outdated hotels that have lost their relevance will be renovated or sold for management to IT players, banks and other large corporate structures and then renovated to suit their needs, to strengthen their own social infrastructure,” says the expert.

According to Voronkova, the arrival of international operators will add competition and force the segment to “catch up” in terms of service standards, safety and attractiveness of facilities not only for recreation, but also for holding conferences, trainings and other corporate events.

What pulls the nets?

The Russian hotel market, despite currency fluctuations and political peculiarities, remains one of the most attractive. The profitability of hotels for the final beneficiary (investor) is still higher than in developed markets, Weller says. Mainly due to the fact that the cost work force, energy resources and utilities in Russia it is lower, as are taxes on land and property.

“The main problem of most modern hotel companies is the asset-light business model, when operators prefer to remain in the role of manager without investing their own funds in real estate. Taking into account the limited number of “real” projects that have all the characteristics necessary for a luxury brand (the classic formula location, location & location is only one of the components, no less important is the developer’s ability to build a hotel of a given standard and bring the project to opening), which are currently time the Moscow market has to offer, the competition between hoteliers is sometimes serious.”

The company expects to make clients also those people who currently live in independent hotels that were recently built or opened in restored Soviet rooms. “We are taking two routes to reach these guests: developing new mid-price hotels – the more traditional Courtyard by Marriott and Four Points by Sheraton, as well as lifestyle brands Moxy, Aloft and AC by Marriott – and considering the possibility of rebranding existing hotels,” says Kiseev.

Regional Director of Accor-Hotels East Alexis Delaroff agrees that there are still not enough quality accommodation facilities in Russia: “For example, in Paris, a city several times smaller than Moscow, we have more than 150 hotels of various price categories - and only 48 for all of Russia. There are opportunities for growth and development both in the economy segment and in the segment of resorts and five-star hotels.” In his opinion, interest in Russia from foreigners is growing, partly thanks to the 2018 FIFA World Cup: “There is excellent nature, delicious food, unique culture and a lot of attractions, and all this is quite affordable due to the low exchange rate of the ruble.” In addition, Russia has a very large domestic market and there is interest in travel. All this, subject to the development of infrastructure within the country, creates a favorable picture for the development of the hotel segment, Delaroff believes. “Finally, AccorHotels' motivation is to maintain its leadership. The more hotels you have, the better you feel and understand the market and the more opportunities you have to control it,” he adds.

Market in the classical sense, there is a sphere of commodity exchange, this is the place (territory) where trade (exchange) of goods and services takes place. The market can be considered as a system of economic relations between production and consumption, all links of the social economy, based on the purchase and sale of goods, services, capital, labor, technology, etc. The market sphere is the sphere of direct commodity-money exchange, in which the interests of producers and consumers, sellers and buyers are coordinated. Any market is characterized by a combination of supply and demand.

A clear understanding of the hotel market is essential for businesses that are about to enter it or are already operating in it. Market of hotel industry enterprises - this is the totality of all enterprises operating in this area. Market research for hotel services is necessary to identify potential competitors, intermediaries, and consumers, which is very important for the marketing activities of an enterprise.

Hotel services market can be defined as a socio-economic phenomenon that combines supply and demand to ensure the purchase and sale of hotel products and services at a specific time and place.

When characterizing the hotel services market, it should be taken into account that:

The main object of purchase and sale are services;

Between producers and buyers of services, there are intermediary links and structures that ensure the connection between supply and demand;

The demand for hotel services is distinguished by a number of features (diversity of consumers in terms of material capabilities, age, values, motives);

The offer of hotel services is characterized by diversity in types of accommodation facilities, price parameters, and the level of quality of services offered.

Demand for hotel services is a solvent need for hotel products and services. This demand is characterized by high elasticity, a high degree of differentiation, and high substitutability.

The demand for hotel services is influenced by a variety of factors that can be defined as price and non-price. Price is the main factor determining the amount of demand. As a rule, the choice of accommodation facilities, duration of stay, and living conditions depend on the price factor.

Non-price factors include motivational and behavioral factors.

Offer of hotel services represents the totality of the capabilities of hotel enterprises to introduce hotel products and services to the market.

Hotel product from a production point of view, it is a set of a certain quantity and quality of services that can satisfy people’s needs for recreation, entertainment and comfortable living.

Like any other product market, the hotel services market is heterogeneous and is classified according to regional, target and other characteristics.

From the point of view of marketing activities, the hotel market is characterized as:

potential market, consisting of a population of consumers with related needs for hotel services, sufficient resources and purchasing opportunities;

target market, consisting of consumers united by common needs and characteristics at which the company's activities are aimed;

main market , consisting of consumers - the main buyers of services;

additional market , consisting of consumers who are buyers of a certain volume of services;

strategic market , consisting of service consumers on whom the firm is betting in the future.

Research of the hotel services market is determined in two directions: assessment of certain parameters at a given time and obtaining forecast data.

First of all, it is necessary to assess the current situation on the market (market conditions), and then determine the size of the market capacity.

Market conditions - this is the economic situation in the market at a certain point in time as a result of the interaction of factors and conditions that determine the state of supply and demand for hotel services, as well as the level of prices for them.

The market conditions for hotel services are characterized by :

- the ratio of demand and supply of hotel services;

Price level;

State of competition;

Degree of government regulation;

The presence of seasonal fluctuations in demand for hotel services;

Trends and prospects for the development of the hotel services market.

The study of the market conditions for hotel services is carried out in stages.

Stage I. Conducting ongoing monitoring of the supply of hotel services, demand, and price dynamics.

Stage II. Analysis, systematization and generalization of the information received.

Stage III. Development of market reports, reviews and forecasts.

One of the main tasks of hotel market research is to determine its capacity. This indicator makes it possible to quantify the fundamental possibilities of working in a specific market.

Market volume - the potential volume of services sold on it over a certain period of time (per year). Measured as in in kind(number of service consumers) and in value terms (volume of sales revenue in monetary terms).

Knowing the market capacity and trends in its changes, it is possible to assess the prospects of a particular market during its development. The most objective indicator of a company's performance is market share. It reflects the performance of the company and is defined as follows:

An increase in market share indicates an increase in the economic stability of the company, as the rate of profit received by the company increases.