HotStats latest data shows that South East hotels saw growth of 4.9 per cent in gross operating profit per available room (GOPPAR) in May, while in general hotels in the UK provinces also saw growth for the fifth consecutive month. Chester hotels saw both GOPPAR and Total revenue per available room (TRevPAR) increasing also.
It is in Glasgow that hoteliers have announced a record growth for the month of May though, with hotels doing well in the period living up to this year’s Commonwealth Games, and average TRevPAR and GOPPAR growing by 14.1 per cent and 27.6 per cent respectively.
Glasgow before the Games
Another new report showed that Glasgow had the highest growth in demand for hotel rooms in Scotland during the month of May. The monthly LJ Forecaster Scottish Intercity Report from tourism market research specialists LJ Research tracks hotel performance in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, of which Glasgow was the only one to record an increase in hotel occupancy last month, averaging 87.4 per cent.
It is the highest hotel occupancy average for May that the city has seen since the monthly-record keeping began in 1999, and happened while Edinburgh and Aberdeen both saw drops in their occupancy for the month.
Managing director at LJ Research Sean Morgan said: “May’s excellent performance marked the fifth consecutive month that Glasgow’s hoteliers have enjoyed double-digit RevPAR growth compared to the same period last year, which is a remarkable level of performance for Scotland’s largest city.
“An increase in major event activity due to the opening of the SSE Hydro is a key factor contributing to this marked upward trend. A busy schedule of events in the period building up to the Commonwealth Games, including Robbie Williams’ performance at the SSE Hydro later this month and the Sainsbury’s Glasgow Grand Prix athletics next month, will continue to drive significant volumes of visitors to the city, benefitting hoteliers and the broader tourism and hospitality market in Glasgow.”