Accounting firm Ernst & Young estimates that int'l hotel chains "will double their presence in Russia in the next few years" with rooms belonging to foreign companies set to rise to 61,000 by '20, according to Alexei Lossan of RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES. Only 50,000 rooms "are estimated to be required to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup." According to Ernst & Young, this geographical expansion "is due to a range of large high-profile international events that have already taken place in Russia, such as the 2013 Universiade (in Kazan), the 2014 Winter Olympics and this year’s Formula One Grand Prix (in Sochi), as well as the upcoming World Cup." According to int'l real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield Dir of Hotel Business & Tourism Marina Smirnova, "a city hosting group-stage games during the World Cup will have to offer 7,760 hotel rooms in categories ranging from two-star to five-star. "Moscow, which will host the World Cup final, "must be able to provide 29,780 rooms and St. Petersburg, which will host the semi-final, must have 14,410." According to Carlson Rezidor Senior Dir for Business Development Darren Blanchard, large-scale global events "represent a golden opportunity for developers and the tourist industry." Blanchard: "Events like the Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2018 World Cup are catalysts for hotel development. The outlook is to further develop the tourist market in the long-term future" (RBTH, 11/27).
