Sanatorium Trocnov is to be sold by Karlovy Vary, according to the opposition, it is not a good idea

Karlovy Vary - The Trocnov Sanatorium, which belongs to the city of Karlovy Vary, will most likely go up for auction. The spa hotel, which the previous operator returned to the city with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, is in poor but sellable condition according to the city, and the city has no use for it. However, the opposition claims that the sale of the historically protected building is inappropriate and uneconomical at the moment. Representatives of the city leadership and the opposition stated this during today's inspection of the building.

The Trocnov Sanatorium, built in 1898, currently has technical deficiencies. Water is leaking onto the protruding balconies, and moisture is seeping into the basement where the spa operation was located. According to Deputy Mayor Josef Kopfstein (Karlovaráci), these are repairable defects, but they will require substantial investments, particularly because it is a historically protected building. Furthermore, for example, the spa facilities are now significantly outdated and correspond to the standards from approximately 20 years ago.

"The plans for this building are such that we do not want to let it deteriorate, and if it is in a sellable condition, we will offer it for auction. So more interested parties can apply. We have set a quota that we will not go below," Kopfstein told ČTK today. If the bids are not sufficient for the city, the sale competition may be canceled.

Today's inspection for councilors also included representatives of the Pirates, who oppose the sale. According to Barbora Hradečná (Pirates), the condition of the building is not so bad that the deficiencies cannot be fixed at a reasonable price. "We do not consider the approval of the sale of the sanatorium to be a happy decision. We regard the sale as a last resort if other options fail, such as long-term leasing or outsourcing of operations, if the city does not know how to handle the operations," Hradečná told reporters.

According to her, selling at this time, when the spa town is suffering from the absence of foreign spa guests and spa operations are only partially functioning, is inappropriate. Additionally, in a situation where the city has a deficit budget and had to take out long-term loans for investments, the money from the sale would just dissolve into the city's expenses, Hradečná believes.

The Trocnov Sanatorium had a capacity of about 50 beds. This is rather below the profitability threshold for spa hotels. However, it predominantly had a Russian clientele that was stable. With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, guests from Russian-speaking countries stopped coming to Karlovy Vary, and their return is currently not in sight, especially given the complicated visa policy. The former tenant thus ended the lease after more than 25 years.