London hotel occupancy at nearly 85% over first Olympic weekend
Hotel occupancy in London during the first weekend of the Olympics reached 84.4%, according to research company STR Global.
For the same period - Friday 27 to Sunday 29 July - average room rate in the capital was £224.72.
While most hotels are busy, some - but not all - are full. "There is room in the inn, but overall hotels are in a good position," said Elizabeth Randall, managing director of STR Global, who added that, historically, Olympic host cities did not sell out.
"Reviewing hotel performance over the past four summer games, back to 1996 in Atlanta, none of the host cities' occupancies surpassed 90% for the months in which the Olympics occurred.
"During a normal period, hoteliers are able to anticipate demand based on known trends and can therefore plan for short-notice demand to supplement cancellations and no-shows. When an international event comes to town, these variables are more difficult to control or predict."
The busiest area of London over the weekend was Docklands and Greenwich, with occupancy of 94.9%, followed by the West End (89%).
Meanwhile, Knightsbridge, Pimlico and Victoria achieved the highest average room rate for the city with £399.20, while the West End came second with £329.27.
Average hotel occupancy during Olympics reaches 80% >>
Plenty of hotel rooms available for Olympics as rates fall >>
By Janet Harmer
E-mail your comments to Janet Harmer here.
Catererandhotelkeeper.com jobs
Looking for a new job? Find your next job here with Catererandhotelkeeper.com jobs
