Our soul is what attracts people – How Bosnia became a leading country with among some of the best hotels in Europe.
Did you know that Bosnia has some of the best hotels in Europe? This surprises a lot of people, but for some it was just proof that we and our hospitality sector are on the right track to win over guests from all around the world.
How is it possible that we’re among the best, when there are plenty of European metropolises whose luxury hotels accommodate millions of guests annually? On ‘Trivago’ a hotel meta-search website, where visitors are able to rate hotels, Bosnia achieved a rating of over 84.63, which is far higher than Liechtenstein, Monaco and Austria, and many more.
Albania, Montenegro, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia, were in the top 10, and Croatia was 12th.
If guests gave the highest rating to Bosnia which led to this flattering title, then what does that mean for us? It means that we have a brand, we have honest hospitality, and how as our spokesperson says, we have soul.
Asja Hadžiefendić Mešić, the PR of the Tourist community of Canton Sarajevo, told ‘eKapija’ that even though we face unorganized tourism offers, the feedback we receive from our guests is unbelievable. When tourists come to Bosnia and Herzegovina they get more than they expect, especially when it comes to accommodation.
‘During the past decade a lot of funding went into accommodation renewal, and today we mostly have only new buildings. Of course, there are a few that live off past glories, but our offer of accommodation is primarily based on modern and new hotels, but a kind word and hospitality are definitely what make us widely known – says Hadžiefendić Mešić.
She also points out that all the disadvantages we might face, are compensated by great service and helping out every guest as best as we can. She believes that the owners and managers of the hotels do everything to keep their guests happy, and that’s the key to success.
‘The offer of tourist accommodation in Sarajevo and Bosnia has in general focused on demand, and that’s where the private sector has dominated. The owners tried to align with world trends, and with time they managed to have everything that large metropolises have.
According to Asja Hadžiefendić Mešićhe, hotels with 45 or 50 beds comprise 90% of the total availability in Kanton Sarajevo, while hostels comprise only 10%. When it comes to the big hotels there can only be one, namely ‘Hotel Hollywood’ in Ilidža with 800 beds, while the second largest has just over 250 beds.
(Source: hayat)