U.K. hotels post record H1 performance
LONDON—The first six months of 2017 produced the U.K. hotel industry’s highest occupancy, average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) for any first half on record, according to data from STR.
Compared with the first six months of 2016, the U.K. recorded a 1.7% increase in occupancy to an actual level of 75.1%, a 4.7% increase in ADR to GBP89.33 and a 6.5% increase in RevPAR to GBP67.12.
STR analysts note that the devaluation in the pound sterling following the June 2016 Brexit vote has resulted in strong tourism growth for the U.K., which has in turn benefitted the country’s hotel sector. According to recent figures published by VisitBritain, total visits to the U.K. were up 9% from January to May 2017. While arrivals from Europe were up just 5% during the first five months of the year, arrivals from North America increased 22%, and visits from the rest of the world were up 25%.
VisitBritain’s findings also show that visitor spending increased 14% for the January to May period, indicating that many travelers are taking advantage of the more favorable currency exchange rate. This aligns with the country’s hotel rate growth, which was particularly high in London, up 6.2% to GBP143.57 in H1. The U.K. capital continues to post performance growth, despite experiencing terror attacks in March and June.
Click on the image for larger version
Comparing London with Regional U.K. (U.K. excluding London), ADR grew 3.2% in H1 to an actual level of GBP69.46—a record level for the first half of the year. Occupancy rose 1.2% in H1 to 73.6%—also an H1 record. In addition to hosting several high impact events in H1, including the Manchester International Festival, the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh and the Champions League Final 2017 in Cardiff, the pound devaluation has also resulted in more domestic holiday travel within Regional U.K. as travel outside the country is now more expensive for U.K. residents.
A note to editors: As of 1 March 2016, all references to STR data and analysis should cite “STR” as the source. Please refrain from citing “STR, Inc.” “Smith Travel Research” or “STR Global” in sourcing as those names no longer fit within the updated STR brand.
Additional Performance Data
Are you a member of the media looking for performance data for a hotel market not included in this release? STR’s sample comprises more than 57,000 hotels and 7.7 million hotel rooms around the globe. Please refer to the contacts listed below for additional data requests.
About STR
STR provides clients from multiple market sectors with premium, global data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 16 countries with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and an international headquarters in London, England. For more information, please visit str.com.
International Media Contacts:
Alex Anstett
Media & Communications Coordinator
aanstett@str.com
+44 (0)207 922 1979
Naureen Ahmed
Director of Marketing, Research & Analysis
media@str.com
+44 (0)207 922 1965