Bulgarian Hotels
There is quite a bit of difference between the hotel industry in Bulgaria and that in the U.S. Whereas the U.S. market is dominated by large chains such as Sheraton, Hilton, Days Inn, and numerous others, the work horse of Bulgaria’s tourism industry is the small to medium-sized family owned and family-operated hotel. Many hotels that have experienced initial success are going in the direction of establishing chains but there are only a couple of such stories as of yet. This is intriguing because Bulgaria is a well known tourist destination in Europe with hundreds of thousands of annual visitors.
The lack of hotel chains is sometimes a problem as tourists are not sure what to expect. Different owners and managers have different ideas about what constitutes good service and facilities. Booking is more cumbersome as the tourist has to call the hotel, make a reservation and pay upon arrival as opposed to using a centralized booking system. However, the lack of uniformity also has an important charming side. There are hundreds of Bulgarian hotels and guest houses (евтини хотели in Bulgarian) with very unique character. Many of them are in fact completely renovated and modernized old houses. In addition to accommodation, the hotels also often feature small cozy restaurants where the owners try to be inventive with delicious local dishes. The environment is quite personal and the parameters of use are flexible.
One hotel in Abanassi exemplifies this. Arbanassi is poised on high rocks, just a few kilometers away from the old capital of Bulgaria Turnovo. It has established itself as one of the most visited tourists places in Bulgaria in large part because of its unique hotels. Villa Tvorcheska (вила творческа) is a three story spacious house with stone foundations and beautiful arches. It sits in a large and sunny garden with a shaded area and fruit trees. It has 11 guest rooms, each furnished and decorated in a different style: 2 Italian rooms, 1 French room, 1 Bulgarian room, 1 Oriental room, 1 mansard studio with a round bedroom, 1 Japanese room, 1 African apartment, 1 Roman room with a tub for hydro massage, and 1 room with Jacuzzi. What a variety!
