Romania’s hospitality industry recorded in 2025 the highest number of nights spent in hotels over three decades, according to the annual report published by Colliers. Although the second half of the year was marked by a more challenging economic backdrop, interest in travelling to Romania remained strong, particularly among foreign tourists, who generated nearly 5 million overnight stays in local hotels. At the same time, Bucharest continued to outperform the national average, with relatively high occupancy levels and new projects announced, a sign that this submarket remains attractive for investments.

During the first part of the year, hotels across almost the entire country welcomed more tourists than in 2024. In the second half, however, momentum eased in many regions, with the notable exception of Bucharest, which continued to attract a large number of visitors. Mountain destinations such as Brașov, Prahova and Argeș saw a weaker year-end performance, though the seaside – particularly Constanța – recorded a stronger summer season than in previous years. Overall, the total number of nights spent in Romanian hotels increased slightly over the previous year, by less than 1% compared to 2024, reaching a new post-1992 high.

Although the threshold of nearly 5 million overnight stays by foreign tourists represents a record for Romania, the level remains below that of other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Hungary attracts more than twice as many foreign overnight stays, while Poland records almost three times as many.

“Romania reached a new three-decade record in terms of nights spent in hotels, even though the pace of growth was not spectacular. While domestic tourism continues to underpin the market overall – accounting for approximately 80% of demand – the segment that contributed most to market growth in 2025 was that of foreign tourists, primarily leisure tourism. At the same time, when compared with other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, we remain behind in terms of overnight stays by foreign visitors, which indicates substantial room for growth in the years ahead, particularly as Romania is getting noticed more and more by international publications as an interesting, affordable and not overly crowded destination”, says Raluca Buciuc, Director and Partner of Valuation360 and Advisory Services at Colliers.

In Bucharest, five-star hotels recorded an average occupancy rate of 72% in the first 11 months of 2025, around 10 percentage points higher than in the previous year. Four-star hotels in central areas also posted a strong performance, with occupancy levels of nearly 80%. Average daily rates reached approximately 140 euro for five-star hotels and around 110 euro for four-star properties, levels comparable with other major capitals in the region. The gradual alignment with regional pricing standards signals the progressive maturation of the local market. The most visible increases were recorded by hotels catering predominantly to business travellers, suggesting that business tourism is gradually recovering.

On the other hand, Eurostat data show that, on average, Romanian tourists spend only 14% less per day domestically than the European Union average, a level higher than in Poland or Hungary when considering all travel-related expenses. If we look strictly at accommodation costs, the differences between Romania and other Central and Eastern European countries are limited, indicating that hotel prices have gradually converged with regional levels. Nevertheless, Romania remains relatively competitive in terms of the overall cost of a trip when compared to Western countries, which may continue to support the growth of international tourism.

Several new hotels opened in 2025, including boutique properties and units operated under well-known international brands. In the coming years, Bucharest is expected to increase its hotel room stock by approximately 10%, through projects that will add more than 1,000 new rooms, some under brands entering the Romanian market for the first time. At the same time, cities such as Brașov, Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu, Constanța and Craiova continue to attract investment and hotels operated by established chains.

An important signal for the market was the transaction which saw the sale of Hilton Garden Inn Bucharest Airport to an international investor – one of the few institutional transactions in the local hotel sector and the first major one which involved a true investment product developed from the ground up – which could pave the way for stronger interest from major investors.

“We continue to see genuine interest from major international hotel chains in Romania; however, the pace of development is slower than it could be, mainly due to the limited number of specialised investors and developers active in this market. Nevertheless, recent transactions indicate that market dynamics are beginning to improve and that the sector is diversifying. If this trend continues, we may see more investments and new projects in the years ahead”, anticipates Raluca Buciuc.

In the long term, Colliers’ specialists estimate that tourism in Romania will continue to grow, particularly driven by the increasing number of foreign visitors. These could offset a potential decline in domestic travel, given the current economic context, especially as developments in the second half of 2025 highlighted the sensitivity of the local tourism market. With inflation returning to relatively high levels, fiscal measures affecting household incomes and amid declining consumer confidence, Romanian tourists are unlikely to show a significantly greater propensity to travel in 2026.

At a European level, leisure tourism remains the main driver of the industry, while upper-upscale, premium and luxury hotels are growing faster than mid-scale properties. In this context, Romania is increasingly perceived as a developing market in Central and Eastern Europe with significant growth potential, supported by rising interest from foreign tourists and the numerous hotel projects announced for the coming years.