Chisinau, a city with almost all historical monuments privatized and then destroyed, with stray dogs wandering around almost freely through the city center, with public transport almost inaccessible after 10 p.m., still is the same as Paris, Rome or Prague. The capital of Moldova does not compare to the most famous cities in Europe at architecture and tourist attractions, but at the prices for hotel services, that go far beyond the economic realities of our country.

In Moldova, there are four five-star hotels officially approved, other at least two are recommended to be five stars, even if do not have a classification act in this regard, and dozens of four-star hotels, most with similar or even higher prices than those of five star hotels.

200 euros, the cheapest room at Nobil

According to information posted on the accommodation unit site and confirmed by its representatives, one night in the cheapest room at Nobil costs 200 euros, as almost the average wage. 20 sqm room is for one person, and the price includes facilities such as: Business Center services or Fitness Center services. A double room, simple one, costs 250 euros. And prices rise according to conveniences that you want. They can reach up to two thousand euros, the price of “Presidential Suite”, which covers an area of ​​244 square meters and can accommodate up to four people.

For 160 euros you can be accommodated in a standard room of Club Royal Park Hotel, also five stars. Accommodation unit offers, according to the wishes of customers, large and small rooms, all starting at this price. VIP Presidential room costs € 500, which covers an area of ​​120 square meters and is divided into four areas: entrance hall, lounge, office and bedroom. Savoy Hotel, which is recommended to be five stars, but, as written in the previous edition of ZdG, does not hold an act of classification issued by Tourism Agency, offers rooms for one or two people from 160 euros per night. According to information on the hotel’s website, a night in the presidential suite costs potential customers not less than 700 euros.

Prices of five-star in four-star hotels

Another five-star hotel in Chisinau, Prezident Hotel, offers lower prices, but still well above the standard of living of the citizens of Moldova. Thus, tourists or those who choose to spend a night in the hotel Prezident will have to shell out 95 euros for a room for one person, that is about as much as the incomes and average expenses of Moldovan citizens on last year, according to National Bureau of Statistics. A double room costs 125 euros, and an apartment for two people, of 40 sqm, 220 euros.

Weekend Boutique Hotel, about which ZdG wrote in previous edition that holds attestation of four stars and not five, as announced on accommodation’s site, offers, for one night, prices starting at 75 euros for one person, 109 euros for one night accommodation in a double room and 159 for a night in a deluxe room. Leogrand Hotel, four star accommodation unit, has prices starting at 110 euros for a single or double room, while the Hotel Codru also four stars, has prices from 1585 lei (85 euro) per night in a room for one person and 1750 lei (95 euro) for one night in a double room.

In Chisinau, as in EU cities

Prices are more than comparable with prices in the five star hotels in the most beautiful and visited European cities like Paris, Rome, Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Barcelona. According to booking.com, for a night stay, in March, in Hotel Hilton (5 Star) from Budapest you can pay around 100 euros. There are also more expensive offers, the most expensive hotel found by us being the Hotel “Corinthia”, around 200 euros for one night, and much cheaper offers, around 70-80 euros for a night. In Paris, with up to 200 euros you can be accommodated in “Pullman Paris La Défense” or “Les Pleiades”, and if you catch the tender period, the prices can be even lower.

In Rome, with 127 euros you spend a night in “Radisson Blu”, with 160 euro in “La Griffe”, and with 190 euros, in “Hotel Majestic”. With even less, 92 euros, you can be accommodated in the “Art Deco Imperial Hotel”, “Art Nouveau Palace” or “Radison Blu” from Prague. With 98 euros, you get at least one overnight stay in the “Levante Parliament” from Vienna, and with 115 – one night in “Hotel de France Wien” from the same city. And in Barcelona, ​​one of the expensive cities of Europe, you can find prices at five-star hotels comparable or even lower than the prices of similar hotels in Moldova. Thus, an overnight stay in “Hesperia Fira Suites” costs from 75 euros, one in “Eurostars Bcn Design” costs from 88 euros and in Hotel Rey Juan Carlos – from 126 euros.

Fair price: 80—120 euros?

“Pricing mechanism for hotels in Moldova is at the desire of hotel owners. In a market economy, the price can not be determined. It is set by the market, depending on the competitive environment”, says Nicolae Platon, Director of the Tourism Agency. He states that, in Moldova accommodation units of four and five stars are designed primarily for business tourism.

“In this situation, we have prices from 80 to 180 euros per room. Prices are high also because of the small number of customers. But, we have expensive hotels in Europe as well, but there are often proposed special prices, promotional, when the hotel is not full. So, in a hotel in Europe discounts go up to 50%. I can tell you from my own experience. In the summer, I was in Austria, in a four star hotel, which was 130 euros, but I got the room for 45 euros. We will try and talk to the owners of hotels here to propose promotional prices. I think one night in a 4-5 star hotel should vary between 80 and 120 euros. We must not forget, it is also the investment that has to be recovered. Following international practice, an investment in the hotel industry, to be profitable, takes 7-10 years”, says Platon. He says that, to develop mass tourism, the Agency will work, in the future, only with those hostels and hotels that offer competitive prices.

Problem: the small number of tourists

Head of Tourism Agency claims that the biggest problem is with 2-3 star hotels, considered tourist hotels, that have, also, prices over European ones. “A reasonable price for such accommodation units, in Moldova, after all the participations in exhibitions, after all the discussions with foreign operators, if we speak of accommodation with full board (three meals, no), the maximum price should vary between 35-40 euros. Here, unfortunately, only accommodation with breakfast fall into this amount. Here also, the basic issue of pricing is based on the small number of tourists who visit the country, although in 2013 I think we have reached 100 thousand overnight stays. If the coefficient of use of the accommodation is small, to cover the costs, are set these high prices. Tourism Agency started a program to exploit the tourism potential by attracting tourists at competitively priced accommodation. We are now working with certain types of hotels from Moldova in order to offer promotional prices for mass tourism”, said Platon.

I tried to talk also with representatives of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants, launched in 2012. Just that Oleg Colesnicenco, the current president of the Association and one of the owners of Jolly Alon hotel, did not answer to ZdG calls, and his secretary told us that he is busy.

Victor Moşneag