The Tatra Mountains were in a frenzy. Highlanders complain about tourists

Until recently, investing in apartments in the mountains, especially those with additional attractions such as a jacuzzi with a view of the Tatra Mountains, was considered a sure recipe for success. Today, it increasingly turns out that instead of bringing profits, it generates increasing burdens for owners.

Apartments in Zakopane are no longer profitable. Owners comment

For a long time, investors believed that locations such as Zakopane would always guarantee full occupancy. The logic was simple: where would tourists come if not to the Tatra Mountains? – and that is why more apartments, guesthouses and accommodation complexes were built.

Facility owners began to invest in higher standards – from interior design, through recreational infrastructure, to more advanced amenities. The era of “Instagram luxury” has come, in which saunas and jacuzzis have become almost a mandatory element of the offer, regardless of the size of the facility.

– Just a few years ago, such attractions allowed prices to increase. Today they are necessary to sell the offer at all. Those who offer more at the same price win, not those who are more expensive, says Karol Wagner from the Tatra Chamber of Commerce.

Investments in the Polish Tatra Mountains no longer make sense?

The problem is that growing guest expectations go hand in hand with increasingly higher maintenance costs. Purchasing a jacuzzi for six people can cost up to PLN 80,000. PLN including installation. In addition, there are fixed operating costs, which may amount to approximately PLN 2.5 thousand. PLN per month. With intensive use, there is also depreciation, estimated at 5-6 years.

Saunas are also not cheap – their purchase cost is often PLN 30,000-80,000. zloty. Annually, the maintenance of such facilities, together with operation and depreciation, may amount to as much as PLN 60,000-80,000. zloty.

– Most guests treat a jacuzzi like a kettle or a TV: something that is already included in the price. They don’t want to pay extra for it, but they use it intensively – admit the owners of the facilities. – If accommodation costs PLN 180-200 per night per person, and maintaining a SPA costs several thousand a month, then the math doesn’t make sense – they add.

The tourism industry in the Tatra Mountains is in trouble

The situation is further aggravated by the fact that prices of energy, food and other services are rising. At the same time, the possibilities of increasing prices are limited. For many smaller owners, the pressure is becoming more and more difficult to bear.

There are already facilities in the area that have surrendered. – It’s hard to admit that after over a decade of working in the hotel industry in Podhale, we have hit a wall. Should we continue to incur costs, modernizing them in line with the growing requirements of guests, or should we sell the facility for which we have devoted years, without taking a vacation or spending family holidays? – the owners of guesthouses wonder.