In the Polish mountains, prices are the same as in foreign resorts. “This year it’s PLN 200 more expensive per day during the holidays”
This year’s date arrangement means that we will have an exceptionally long weekend on Christmas Day. Poles are already making reservations and are rubbing their eyes with amazement because a hotel night in the most crowded mountain locations costs up to PLN 1,000, although according to experts, average prices are still slightly lower than last year. High prices mean that the cost of holidays in Poland will be similar to prices abroad.
We are less than a few weeks away from this year’s Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Therefore, questions arise more and more often about how Poles spend this special time of the year. Experts from the Travelist.pl portal decided to look for the answer to this question by analyzing their data regarding Christmas reservations.
Poles are convinced to spend Christmas in a hotel
According to the Travelist.pl portal, the interest in Christmas and New Year’s trips is slightly higher than last year, but the demand is still not exceptionally high when compared to, for example, long weekends. We are more interested in Poland than abroad, but primarily not because of the price, but because of our attachment to tradition.
– Poles still have to convince themselves to spend holidays in a hotel, where they can stay with their families – without having to cook or clean. This season is additionally encouraged by prices which, despite inflation, are lower than last year. While in 2022, you had to pay an average of PLN 685 per night in a 4- or 5-star double hotel room during the holidays, now the price is PLN 636 – says Eliza Maćkiewicz, Head of Commercial at Travelist. pl.
Similar prices are offered by hotels in Spain and Portugal. In Turkey, however, you can stay overnight in a five-star hotel even cheaper.
Most reservations at the seaside
Currently, almost 60 percent Travelist.pl customers booked their Christmas stay on the Baltic Sea, 18 percent in large cities and only slightly over 10 percent in the mountains. The Polish coast once again leads the way, breaking booking records. For comparison, last year Christmas reservations made at the seaside accounted for 43%. total bookings for this period. The increase is therefore significant.
The choice of where to book your Christmas holiday is mainly determined by prices and the coast is simply cheaper than the Polish mountains, where prices are dizzying every year. For a double room in a 4- or 5-star hotel by the sea, customers have to pay on average PLN 670 per day, while a year ago it was PLN 699. In the mountains, however, the trend is completely opposite. The average cost of a hotel night for Christmas is currently almost PLN 970, which is over PLN 200 more than in the 2022 season.
Traditionally, reservations in popular, large cities will have the least impact on Poles’ wallets. The average price of a room for two people is around PLN 460. According to Travelista, the most popular Christmas destinations will be Kołobrzeg, Gdańsk, the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, Ustronie Morskie and Szklarska Poręba, where the most bookings have been made so far.
New Year’s Eve is more expensive than last year
Unfortunately, this year it will also be more expensive on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Currently, the average price for a hotel room for two people on this date is PLN 679. This is as much as PLN 66 more than in 2022. The good thing is that mountain lovers who want to go there and celebrate the New Year will pay slightly less than during the Christmas period. Prices for renting a room are currently PLN 868. Accommodation on the Baltic Sea is more expensive, where the cost of booking a room for two people, including meals, is on average PLN 731.
The cheapest will be, similarly to Christmas, in large cities. Here, the average price for accommodation for two people is PLN 332. Travelist.pl customers most often choose Gdańsk, Kraków, Szklarska Poręba, Kołobrzeg and Ustronie Morskie to welcome the New Year.
Poles are waiting for promotions
Although Poles are booking Christmas trips earlier this year than last season, many of them are still waiting for promotions and more favorable offers.
– Although at the moment we cannot talk about a booking boom for Christmas or New Year, a lot can still change here. Black Week is ahead of us, and it is becoming more and more popular every year, also in the tourism industry. I expect that hotels will also tempt us this year not only with a unique offer, but also with much more attractive prices. This will certainly have an impact on buyers’ decisions, adds Eliza Maćkiewicz.
Tourists also hope that, just like during the holidays, when the product does not sell, its price will drop at the last moment. Those who want to go to the mountains also wait before making the decision to be sure that the weather will be suitable and that they will be able to go skiing at the same time.
