Our subsidiary, Szinerty Ltd., won the tender announced by Debreceni Vagyonkezelő Zrt. (DV Zrt.), aimed at leasing the Hotel Lycium**** in Debrecen. The official announcement was made on February 13, 2025, during a press conference attended by Szabó Sándor, the General Deputy CEO of our group, László Papp, the Mayor of Debrecen, Virág Marossy, the CEO of DV Zrt., and Frank Reul, the Vice President of Development for Accor Eastern Europe. We are proud to be part of this outstanding project, which will further boost the city’s tourism and economy.

Under an international brand, and with the involvement of one of the world’s leading hotel chains, Accor Group, our company will operate the four-star hotel, ensuring international-standard services for Debrecen’s primarily business-oriented guests under the Accor Handwritten Collection brand. The Handwritten Collection is one of Accor’s midscale brands, such as Novotel, Mercure, and Tribe. The technical and operational standards of the Handwritten Collection meet the four-star hotel requirements of HSU. Every
Accor midscale hotel in Hungary holds an HSU 4 or 4* superior rating. The Mercure Debrecen Hotel, also part of the Accor Group and located on Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Street, built in 2022 under the investment of another subsidiary of the Szinorg group, Bajcsy Invest Ltd., alongside Hotel Lycium**** Debrecen, will represent significant potential under joint management within the Accor Group.

Frank Reul, Vice President of Development for Accor Eastern Europe, stated that the group has 3,000 properties across Europe, including in Budapest, Tokaj, Székesfehérvár, and Győr in Hungary.

“The Accor group primarily renovates existing hotels, enhancing them to new levels while preserving local values. In this spirit, the Handwritten brand was established in 2022, grouping 26 hotels under the name, which focuses on maintaining the original character, nature, and cultural background of the buildings,” he said. The Vice President added that they strongly believe that conference tourism will play an important role in the city. He believes that this tourism segment within the sector adds the most value.

Szabó Sándor, the General Deputy CEO of our group, presented the future plans and technical specifications of the hotel. He also mentioned that the Szinorg group had successfully collaborated with Accor on the implementation of Mercure Debrecen. Thanks to the international partner, they gained a knowledge base that enabled profitable hotel operations even amid rising energy prices.

“The Lycium hotel is a historic building with traditions, and we definitely wanted to preserve its values. Therefore, we will keep the Lycium name in the hotel’s title, complemented by the Handwritten Collection brand.”

He also pointed out that, according to hotel industry trends, guests are increasingly valuing communal spaces over individual rooms. The bar, restaurant, and lobby are the areas where they prefer to spend their time. Therefore, they entrusted the same team with the renovation who participated in the creation of the Mercure. As he mentioned, the ground floor of the hotel will undergo a complete transformation to create a more inviting space. Additionally, the flooring will be replaced, a smaller restaurant will be located in place of the former bar, and the conference rooms will be renovated. While the focus will be on the communal spaces, the rooms will also be improved.

The development of the property will contribute to increasing Debrecen’s attractiveness in business and conference tourism—significantly improving the city’s position in the international competition for conferences—as well as contributing to the development of the local hospitality sector.

Images sources: https://www.dehir.hu/debrecen/nemzetkozi-szallodalanc-tagja-lesz-a-megujulo-hotel-lycium/2025/02/13/