Hotel boom times continue in 1997

The boom enjoyed by UK hoteliers in 1996 looks set to be exceeded this year, according to figures for the first three months of 1997.

Consultants at Pannell Kerr Forster Associates (PKFA) found both bedroom occupancy and achieved room rates were up in England, Scotland and Wales, year-on-year.

The figures come from the Monthly Regional Trends and Monthly London Trends surveys.

The improved occupancy and rates led to a double-digit increase in rooms yield in all parts of the UK except for Scotland, which was up 7.7%. The increases in yield for English and Welsh hotels were 11.4% and 13.1% respectively.

London continued to lead the performance league, with bedroom occupancy up 0.3 percentage points to 76.5% and average achieved room rates increasing by an average of 10%.

However, just as in 1996, hotels in the English provinces showed the biggest gains in rooms yield. The strongest growth area was Gatwick, which saw yield leap by 23.5% thanks to an 8.8 percentage point increase in occupancy and a rise in average rates of 13.6%.

In London, the performance improvement was evenly spread through all classes of hotel with the exception ofthe top end. Superior de luxe properties, classed as those with an achieved rate over £195, suffered a fall in occupancy and the most restrained improvement in achievedrates.

For information on PKFA surveys contact 0171-831 7393.