Hotel Thermal is preparing for a renovation, it will be gradual

Karlovy Vary - A multi-year reconstruction of the famous Karlovy Vary hotel Thermal will begin this year and last until 2021. The modernization of the brutalist building from the 1970s is divided into 16 phases. The budgeted costs amount to 580 million crowns, said Michal Košarko, the financial director responsible for managing the state hotel, to ČTK.

According to Anna Fuksová from the press department of the Ministry of Finance, which manages the hotel, individual tenders for suppliers for each phase of the planned reconstruction are currently taking place. The tender has been completed, and a contract has been signed to commence design work, including surveys for the repair and insulation of the façade, roofs, and terraces of the main hotel building, including the congress center and the building next to the swimming pool, ČTK was informed.

Preparatory work is currently being carried out at the hotel in the center of Karlovy Vary. "We are now preparing to relocate the casino to new spaces. These will be created in the underground floors along with changing rooms for employees. A new à la carte restaurant with a beautiful view of the city should be established in the vacated space after the casino," Košarko described to ČTK.

At the same time, four sample rooms are being created on the 14th floor of the hotel, according to which the hotel tower will be reconstructed. Košarko emphasized that the hotel should be brought to a state that, on one hand, meets the conditions of the 21st century, but on the other hand, preserves the hotel's original appearance. At first glance, visitors to the town should not notice significant differences after the reconstruction. For this reason, the hotel is also in communication with the representatives of the Machonin couple, who designed the hotel, including the interior details.

The spa hotel, which is the central location for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, will therefore have to expect some operational restrictions for a while. This will not affect the employees. The hotel employs between 150 to 200 staff, depending on seasonal conditions.

According to Košarko, the financial results for last year, based on preliminary data, could end with a slight loss. In particular, the effects of the fire at the wellness center in 2017 were still reflected in the finances in the first half of the year.

The hotel's clientele largely consists of returning guests, who make up about 45 percent of the visitors. Three quarters of the hotel's clients are from abroad. Moreover, the hotel relies on self-pay clients and does not have contracts with health insurance companies. This provides stable income regardless of changes in the prescribing of spa stays by insurance companies. Out of last year's 63,000 so-called bed nights, therapeutic stays accounted for nearly 36,000 bed nights.