<div>Department store Bílá labuť requests permission for reconstruction into a hotel.</div>

Prague - The Bílá labuť department store on Wenceslas Square is applying for permission to convert into a three-star hotel. The request has been published on the official bulletin board of the building authority of Prague 1. This is not the only hotel planned in the center of Prague. A little further away on Senovážné náměstí, a four-star hotel is expected to be built in the future. However, according to data from the statistical office, there were 15 percent fewer guests accommodated in Prague hotels in the first quarter compared to last year. Some forecasts suggest that this trend will continue.
    The Bílá labuť hotel is to be established on the first to fourth floors of the department store, offering 60 rooms. This will require construction modifications. The reconstruction is expected to be completed by 2010. The main reason for the reconstruction is that most of the sales areas in the building are underutilized.
    The Bílá labuť department store on Wenceslas Square currently has approximately 3000 square meters of sales area, with only the basement, ground floor, and part of the first floor rented. Shops, a supermarket Albert, and a McDonald's restaurant will remain in the basement after the reconstruction.
    The hotel on Senovážné náměstí 3 received a building permit from Prague 1 in June, allowing the addition of two more buildings to the existing two. A total of 223 double rooms are to be created in the hotel. The building will have three underground and eight above-ground floors. In the basement, in addition to technical facilities, there will also be garages, and a fitness center will be located in the cellar.
    Last year, there were 656 accommodation facilities in the capital, including 33 five-star hotels, 142 four-star hotels, and 193 three-star hotels.
    According to a forecast by Mag Consulting, hotels in the Czech Republic will this year lose eight to 11 percent of guests compared to last year, with a decline in the number of foreign tourists amounting to up to 14 percent.
    According to tourism analyst Jaromír Beránek, while new hotels in Prague do have their place, they must displace part of the existing accommodation capacity. "The market is then primarily losing lower-quality accommodation," Beránek stated.