The Ramada Resort – Aquaworld Budapest hotel and spa complex (from 2015, Aquaworld Resort Budapest, ARB) opened in December 2008, immediately after the outbreak of the financial crisis. The investor was a Hungarian real estate development company, which had finished a large housing construction in the neighbourhood (Homoktövis Apartment House), thus the investor had a considerable local knowledge.
General description of the complex
In the following, we present the main significant physical features on the basis of the ARB's website.2 The complex is one of the biggest hotel and indoor pool complexes in all Europe, and the Aquaworld water adventure park is said to be Central Europe’s biggest indoor water theme park with 11 slides, 21 pools, a surf pool, a wave pool and further amusement elements makes the complex unique among the touristic attractions of Hungary. As we mentioned above, the water park is located in the northern part of Budapest, just off the Pest abutment of Megyeri Bridge along the new M0 ring.3
The ARB complex occupies a total area of 86,000 m2 and the total ground space of the buildings covers 54,000 m2. The two parts of the aquatic complex, Aquaworld Budapest, the aquatic adventure park, and Aquaworld Resort Budapest Hotel with its own separated bath unit have a total water surface area of more than 3,300 m2 and a water mass of 4,200 m3. The outdoor and the
2 http://www.aquaworldresort.hu/en/hotel/facts_and_figures.
Other description in English: http://www.funzine.hu/2008-12-aqua-fun-all-year-round/
3 http://www.hungariantourism.com/en/news/aqua-fun-all-year-round-aquaworld-budapest-opens-on-december-5th.html
73
underground car park of the hotel together have a total capacity of more than 1,000 cars.
The karst well, of a bottom-hole temperature of 35°C and a daily water output of 420 m3 is amply sufficient to supply the necessary quantity of water. Waste water is cleaned and made environmental friendly by an in-house cleaning system. Cleaned water is fed back partly to the garden lake and partly to the Mogyoródi stream.
Aquaworld Budapest Water Park is covered by a giant dome, which is five stories high and a staggering 72 meters in diameter. The spherical-cap-shaped dome is constructed with a very special architectural technique developed originally in space research. The monumental replica Angkor temple surrounded by suspension bridges, towers and pools is an outstanding sight. The total unsupported area under the dome is 4,200 m2. The maximum capacity of the Aquaworld Budapest water park is 1,800 persons.
Aquaworld Resort Budapest Hotel includes an 8-storey high main building with an undulating external design, and a 4-storey Apartment House with underground connection to the main building. The hotel has a total of 309 rooms, suites and apartments and a total capacity of 838.
In addition to the 1,000 m2 conference center located on the first floor, there is also a banquet room with terraces on the 8th floor. The premises are delimited by mobile walls, offering the possibility of numberless variations. A maximum of 15 section rooms can be created, the biggest one with a capacity of 550, but the interconnecting premises are suitable also for hosting expositions or large-scale reception events. The hotel conference center has a capacity of almost 1,000.
The hotel is focusing upon four groups of guests: (i) families, who generally make use of wellness and water facilities; (ii) MICE tourists, who utilize mainly the conference halls. In the hotel, a lot of (iii) business guests stay, who are working at the adjacent retail and industrial centers. Last but not least, a spate of (iv) medical tourists appeared here in recent years, patients make use of medical treatments in the first floor.
Features of guests, turnover and operation
The number of guest nights of the hotel had an average of 150,000 in the last three years. The hotel relies on international guests, since 85% of guests are from abroad. The main clientele are the Czechs; the Hungarians are the second largest group only. Otherwise, hotel guests typically come from Central European countries (Table 1).
74
Nationality of international guests (2012, 2013)
Country 2012 2013 Change in %,
2013/2012
Czech Republic 27 893 28 832 3,4
Hungary 26 428 26 102 -1,2
Austria 15 709 12 852 -18,2
Slovak Republic 11 890 11 431 -3,9
Belgium 2 492 10 375 316,3
Romania 11 176 10 122 -9,4
Germany 9 715 10 089 3,8
Norway 2 423 8 535 252,2
Serbia 6 566 7 624 16,1
The Netherlands 5 048 4 935 -2,2
Russia 4 198 4 464 6,3
Great-Britain 3 736 3 789 1,4
Poland 3 350 3 710 10,7
USA 2 695 3 091 14,7
Total 133 319 145 951 9,5
Table 1. Nationality of international guests, in guest nights (2012, 2013) Source: Aquaworld Resort Budapest
In the last three years, the total operating revenue with F&B was around € 8.5 million per year. The occupancy rate was approximately 68% in 2014, which exceeds the average of four-star hotels and wellness hotels in Hungary and Budapest. The ARR (average room rate) had on average € 56-58, which is also almost the highest in this category. The REVPAR (revenue per available room) is about € 40, which represents the best value compared to similar hotels. We have to mention, that price level in Budapest is lower than in Vienna or Prague.
In the spa, the total number of entrants was 530,000 in 2013, which included 400,000 external guests and ca. 130,000 entrants from the hotel (one hotel guest can enter more than once). The total operating revenue had an average of € 3,5 million per year (ca. € 6-7 per one entrant). This means, that Aquaworld water complex is one of the most visited and profitable Hungarian spa. In the ranking of the baths, the Aquaworld is 8th according to the guest number, and 4th on the basis of the total operating revenue. The approximately 400,000 external guests of spa are typically living in the neighbourhood area. 75% of guests are from Budapest, 19,5% come from the neighbouring settlements (mainly from Dunakeszi and Fót) and only 5,5% come from abroad. Although the complex has got an impressive indoor water park, seasonality is apparent: in July and August, the number of guests is higher than 50,000 (1,500-1,700 entrants per
75
day), in September, this number plummets by half, 22,000 guests per month (700-800 guests per day) (Diagram 1).
Diagram 1. Number of external guests and seasonality in Aquaworld Resort Budapest, 2013 Source: Aquaworld Resort Budapest
Summarizing the main features of the data analysis we can state, that in the last years the ARB gained an outstanding position among the Hungarian four-star and wellness hotels and the hierarchy of Hungarian spas. The reasons can be complex and multifarious. The name “Budapest’ as a marketing brand and the large spa facility of ARB attract foreigners, they serve as basis for the guests of the hotel. Nevertheless, based only on the international hotel guests, the operator can’t maintain this sumptuous and giant water park due to the low Hungarian hotel price level. In this case, if the operator raises the prices, the hotel would be much more expensive than any other accommodations in Budapest, so the occupancy rate would decline. Therefore, the water park department has need of local guests as well. In fact, the spa is maintained by local residents, which is able to continue to serve as an attraction for foreign hotel guests.
As for the system of spatial relations of the ARB we can state, that although employees live more or less in the neighbourhood area (adjacent districts or settlements, like Újpest, Rákospalota, Dunakeszi and Fót), the complex has got loose functioning connections (e.g. bus lines, shuttles, mutual events etc.) to the vibrant downtown. The clientele of ARB is very different from the guests who visit the downtown. It seems that ARB is utilized mainly as a recreation centre for the local and international (especially Central European) guests and families.