Robert Hanea created a business model in Balotești that revolutionised leisure in Romania. Now, the same concept is coming to life on a colossal scale in the United Kingdom: a £600 million project covering 11.5 hectares, with 25 pools, 20 slides and an indoor beach kept at 33 degrees. Romania’s ambassador in London has visited the construction site and described it as proof of the maturity of Romanian entrepreneurship.

(Staff: Romania & United Kingdom / Business & Wellness)

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In a world where Romanian entrepreneurship is often associated with local businesses or imported franchises, some stories defy every pattern. One begins in Balotești, north of Bucharest, and is now expanding into one of the most competitive markets in the West. The name behind this success is Robert Hanea, an entrepreneur originally from Sibiu and founder of the Therme group.

Therme Bucharest, which opened in 2016, changed the perception of Romania’s leisure industry. Combining thermal waters with tropical botanical gardens, glass bioclimatic architecture and advanced hydrotherapy facilities, the complex has regularly exceeded 6,000 visitors a day. It quickly became a major tourist attraction for the region, drawing tens of thousands of visitors from abroad.

From Balotești to Manchester: a £600 million investment

The Romanian model’s success has been validated. Robert Hanea is now taking the concept to an unprecedented scale. At TraffordCity, near Manchester, the group’s most ambitious project is under construction: Therme Manchester, an investment of approximately £600 million (or €700 million, depending on the source).

The project covers 11.5 hectares and, once completed, will be the world’s largest integrated wellbeing, health and relaxation complex. It will include 25 heated pools, 20 water slides, a lagoon, indoor gardens, saunas, steam rooms and an indoor beach maintained at a constant temperature of 33 degrees Celsius.

One remarkable feature concerns sustainability: before construction began, a 200-metre borehole was drilled on the site to establish whether the future complex could use geothermal energy from deep underground for heating and cooling, thereby reducing its carbon footprint.

Economic impact and diplomacy

Therme Manchester is not merely a business project; it is also a major driver of urban regeneration. According to estimates, construction will generate 3,000 jobs during the building phase and 750 permanent jobs once the resort opens. The estimated gross value added to the regional economy is approximately £4.5 billion.

The scale of the project has attracted diplomatic attention. Romania’s ambassador to London, Laura Popescu, and the British ambassador to Bucharest, Giles Portman, visited the construction site in TraffordCity. The Romanian ambassador expressed her admiration for the way a concept that began near Bucharest is being successfully developed in an extremely competitive Western market. She emphasised that this international expansion demonstrates “the potential, maturity and ability of Romanian entrepreneurship to compete globally”.

When will it open, and how much will it cost?

Work on Therme Manchester began in September 2025, with completion estimated for late 2028 (some recent sources point to early 2029). Ticket prices have not yet been announced. The company has said that its mission is to make wellbeing experiences “widely accessible and affordable”, promising a range of options for different budgets.

Conclusion

The story of Robert Hanea and Therme Group shows that a good idea, implemented with rigour and vision, can cross any border. From a successful complex in Ilfov to a landmark project for the United Kingdom, the entrepreneur from Sibiu demonstrates that Romania is not merely a consumer of Western innovation, but also an exporter of concepts and know-how. Therme Manchester is presented as the world’s largest wellbeing complex and as a victory for Romanian business on the global stage.