Polish property firm to reward customers who conceive babies in its hotels and apartments

In an effort to tackle Poland's demographic crisis, one of the country's largest hotel and real estate firms has announced that it will offer rewards – including cash payments and free parties – to clients who conceive babies at its properties. It will also offer bonuses to staff who have children.

The company, Arche, notes that for the last 12 years , the annual number of deaths has exceeded the number of births in Poland. In 2024, Poland's fertility rate – the average number of children expected to be born to each woman in her lifetime – fell to a new record low of 1.1, which is among the lowest anywhere in the world.

As a result, Poland's population dropped to 37.5 million by the end of 2024, over a million less than at its peak in the late 1990s. UN forecasts suggest the figure could halve by 2100, when the population would be around 19 million.

Arche notes that this decline would have a negative effect on public finances and services, quality of life, and also the economy more broadly – ​​including its own business.

In an effort to raise awareness of the issue and seek to mitigate the problem, it has announced a series of rewards for clients who conceive at its properties.

Guests who do so while staying at one of the group's 23 hotels – all of which are located in Poland – will receive a “free family party”, such as for a baptism, at one of its properties.

The offer's terms say that the couple – who must reside in Poland and at least one member of which must be a Polish citizen – need to “demonstrate that conception occurred in connection with their stay at an Arche hotel”.

However, the proof need only consist of confirmation of when they stayed at the hotel and a birth certificate showing when the child was born.

Meanwhile, couples who purchase a property from Arche for their own residential purposes will be awarded 10,000 zlotys (€2,344) for each child born over the next five years. The company will also offer the same bonus to employees who conceive children.

Arche's founder and CEO, Władysław Grochowski, has become known for involving his company in social issues, including providing accommodation for refugees . In 2023, he and his wife, Lena Grochowska, won a UN award for their humanitarian work in providing housing to over 14,000 Ukrainians fleeing Russia's invasion.

“Businesses should become more involved in social issues, including supporting the reversal of the negative demographic trend in our country,” said Grochowski, announcing his company's new program.

“In 2026, Poland will spend nearly 5% of its GDP on defense. But what good is that if demographics will wipe us out?” he added,quoted by financial news service Money.pl.

Agnieszka Dylak, managing director of creative agency Nieszablonowa, told the Wirtualne Media news website that Arche's latest scheme is “an unconventional approach to corporate social responsibility”.

She noted that, in the week since the campaign was launched, it has already been successful in terms of “sparking an important social discussion” online. However, she added that, while it remains to be seen if that has any impact on fertility, it will “certainly boost brand recognition” for Arche.

Similarly, Ewa Kryj-Satalecka, director of communication and marketing at Asseco Poland, a technology firm, told Wirtualne Media that Arche's campaign is clearly more of a marketing move than a real effort to increase birth rates.

Main image credit: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels