Holiday Issue 2019

Mar19334 Outstanding Hospitality in the Heart of Romania The Hotel Snagov Club is located in the Snagov Natural Preserve, close to Romania’s bustling capital city of Bucharest. Recognised in LUXlife’s 2019 Global Luxury Hotel & Spa Awards with the ‘Award for Excellence in Luxury Accommodation’, we spoke with Marius Sucalã, the General Manager of Snagov Club, to find out more. Romania has swiftly become a tourist hotpot. Bucharest in particular remains a drawn for its hip, creative vibe - think trendy coffee shops sitting next to part Art Nouveau part utilitarian architecture. Just a stone’s throw away from Bucharest, nestled against the stunning Lake Snagov, is the Hotel Snagov Club. A five-star hotel by any measure, it has earned a reputation for its relaxing, contemplative atmosphere. This is, of course, by design, as Marius explains further. “What I really want for our guests to have at Snagov Club is, primarily, complete relaxation. I imagine a perfect day for a guest at the hotel starts with a coffee and breakfast on the terrace, then – depending on the season- to continue with a couple of hours by the swimming pool or at the Spa during the winter. This is followed by a gourmet lunch with a view of the lake, that ends with a boat trip and champagne.” Marius continues, discussing the greater hospitality industry in Romania and beyond. “There are a lot of challenges in the industry at the moment. Some of them are regional, and some are decidedly more global. A key challenge at the moment is the fact that the hospitality industry is often unable to adapt to changing trends in the greater employment sphere. For example, we are not able to provide flexible working hours, or the option of working from home. This starts to have an impact when new generations are choosing am industry for a career. Ultimately, in much the same manner as Snagov Club, the best way to handle challenges is to be as flexible as possible, as that is often the easiest and quickest way to overcome a challenge and adapt rapidly.” Technology too looks set to disrupt the global hospitality sector. Even, to some degree, more traditional luxury hotels such as the Snagov Club, as Marius discusses in his final comments. “Unlike other industries, I do think the ‘human touch’ will remain very important moving forward, despite the rise in the number of ‘smart hotels’. I think these will be a niche for some time yet. Even guests who perhaps wanted a more high-tech stay are wanting to go back to human interaction for many aspects of their hospitality experience.” Address: 1 B Nuferilor Street, Snagov, Ilfov, 077190, Romania Website: www.snagovclub.ro Telephone: +40 0372 746 862 Style