London occupancy stays above 80%

22nd May 2009, 10:02am

Average room occupancy at London chain hotels stayed above 80% in April thanks to strong leisure demand, according to the latest HotStats survey by TRI Hospitality Consulting.

The Easter holidays contributed to high occupancy of 80.4% in the capital.

Jonathan Langston, managing director, TRI Hospitality Consulting, commented on these findings: "Easter is historically a quieter time for branded chain hotels because there are fewer business guests. This year, however, as hoteliers reacted to the downturn in corporate demand, discounted leisure deals kept overall occupancy levels high."

London room occupancy this April compared well to previous Easter months, matching that of March 2008, meanwhile in the provinces, room occupancy was 67.3% this April, which also matched levels reported for the Easter of March 2008.

Looking at the four-month trend this year, the recession appears to be having a greater impact on hotels outside London. Revenue per available room was down by 10.8% in London but minus 13.1% in the provinces.

Daily profit per available room – expressed as income before fixed charges (IBFC) – fell by 23% to £22.06 in the provinces compared to a 17.1% decrease to £46.92 in the capital.

And in the three months to March 2009 the number of overseas visits to the UK fell by 13% to 6.3 million compared to the same period a year earlier, and yet the amount they spent while here edged up slightly to £3.13 billion from £3.128 billion.

Related Articles:

• 04 Feb 2010 - Confidence amongst hoteliers suffer a slight setback, says TRI
• 28 Jan 2010 - London hotels enjoy strong double digit boost to profitability during December
• 05 Jan 2010 - Occupancy and average room rates soar at London hotels
• 26 Nov 2009 - The London hotel market records second highest occupancy performance in 2009
• 11 Nov 2009 - Confidence amongst UK hotel general managers at a high
• 02 Nov 2009 - London hoteliers lead the way
• 30 Oct 2009 - The latest issue of London Hotel Development Monitor now available
• 28 Oct 2009 - London hoteliers boost profits
• 01 Oct 2009 - European hotels experience a weak August
• 28 Sep 2009 - Holiday makers boost occupancy levels for UK hotels
• 26 Aug 2009 - London Hotel occupancy exceeds 2008 levels
• 18 Aug 2009 - UK hotel general managers remain positive
• 28 Jul 2009 - Occupancy levels hold up at London hotels
• 25 Jun 2009 - Recession has less impact on UK hotels
• 28 Apr 2009 - Lower hotel room rates keep occupancy high
• 27 Apr 2009 - UK hotel managers are more optimistic
• 24 Apr 2009 - UK hotels experience heavy falls in profit
• 25 Mar 2009 - Profit down by 17% at London hotels
• 03 Mar 2009 - Hotel's revenue and profit continues to fall
• 25 Feb 2009 - Hotel profits fall by almost one third
• 23 Feb 2009 - TRI Hospitality Consulting wins hotel report award
• 28 Jan 2009 - Flat profit at London hotels
• 15 Dec 2008 - TRI nominated for 2009 Hotel Report Awards
• 27 Nov 2008 - UK hotel profits fall by 9%
• 24 Oct 2008 - London hotels hit by credit crisis
• 10 Jun 2008 - UK hotels continue to rise in room rates
• 04 Mar 2008 - London hotels achieve profit increase
• 27 Feb 2008 - TRI wins Advisor of the Year title

Click here to submit a comment!

Have your say!

To comment on this article, simply enter your name and email and send us your views. Please note that your comment will appear publicly below this article once it has been processed. For enquiries please email info@eatoutmagazine.co.uk.