Hotel Online  Special Report

advertisements

,

 European Hotel Industry Year-End 2003 Results; 
Only Four Markets Witnessed RevPAR Growth /
Deloitte

.

23 January 2004 - Today at the 2004 European Hotel Managers Association�s 31st General Meeting in Athens, the HotelBenchmark Team at Deloitte announced year-end 2003 results, which reinforced the view that the year 2003 has certainly been a very challenging period for the European hotel industry.

As a result of continued global challenges, revenue per available room (revPAR) levels across Europe fell by 7.5% during 2003 to €67, compared to the €72 achieved in 2002. This is some 18.0 % behind the exceptional year of 2000! This fall in revPAR performance was mainly driven by a 6.6% decline in average room rate as a result of price discounting. 

The war in Iraq and the outbreak of SARS compounded already challenging operating and economic conditions, which continued to dampen corporate spending. In addition, weak domestic demand coupled with an appreciating euro has resulted in weak growth across the euro-zone during 2003.

Of the 37 markets tracked in the European edition of the HotelBenchmark Survey by Deloitte only four markets witnessed revPAR growth during 2003 and as many as 15 markets recorded a double-digit fall in revPAR. The best performing markets in 2003 were Dublin (+2.7%), Helsinki (+3.5%), Jerusalem (+10.5%) and Vienna (+12.1%). 

Whilst many Northern and Western European cities witnessed double-digit revPAR declines in 2003, the regions as a whole only experienced a revPAR decline of 9.2% and 7.0% respectively. Markets most affected were Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Geneva, London, Paris, Stockholm and Zurich. The three major gateway cities in Europe, Amsterdam, London and Paris, have especially been affected by the large decline in American and Asian visitors following the war in Iraq, the weakness of the US Dollar and the outbreak of SARS. The London results are distorted by the appreciation of the Euro against Sterling with a currency adjusted revPAR decline of only 3.9%.

Hoteliers in Central Eastern Europe experienced mixed results during 2003, with the region reporting a revPAR decline of 7.5 %, compared with the same period last year. The strongest performing market in the region was Moscow, where revPAR grew by 13.9% when restated to US Dollars. The two markets in Eastern Europe that suffered most severely were Budapest and Warsaw, recording revPAR declines of 14.0% and 18.2% respectively.

Continuing the trend from 2002, Southern Europe was the best performer of the four European regions, witnessing a small revPAR decline of 4.2 % compared to last year. Barcelona, Madrid, Milan and Rome all saw single digit revPAR declines during the year, comparing favourably with many of their Western European city counterparts which recorded double-digit declines. The only exception has been Athens, which saw a revPAR decrease of 11.2 % during 2003. This decline was driven by average occupancy levels falling by 11.6%, which was largely attributable to the re-opening of the Hilton Athens and the Sheraton Grand Bretagne hotels in early 2003.

Marvin Rust, partner of HotelBenchmark at Deloitte said: "Whilst the rate of occupancy decline has slowed towards the end of 2003 the comparables for 2002 were weak. The results are therefore worrying as visitors are still checking out of the European market. However, given that airline passenger numbers appear to be starting to pick up and that Europe will be hosting key events such as the Olympics in Athens and Euro 2004 in Portugal, we are cautiously optimistic about hotel performance in Europe in 2004. The strength of the Euro to the US Dollar does however remain a concern."

Europe - Percentage change in revPAR reported in Euros
(January - December 2003)

Over 10% 
decline
5-10% 
decline
0-5% 
decline
0-5% 
growth
Over 10% 
growth
Amsterdam Berlin Barcelona Dublin Jerusalem
Athens
Madrid
Brussels Helsinki Vienna
Budapest
Moscow
Frankfurt    
Copenhagen Munich Gothenburg    
Geneva Prague Hamburg    
Istanbul Rome Lisbon
London
Milan
Paris
Stockholm
       
Warsaw
       
Zurich
       
Source: HotelBenchmark Survey by Deloitte

 

The HotelBenchmark Survey contains the largest independent source of hotel performance data outside of North America and tracks the performance of over 6,000 hotels and 1.1 million rooms every month. 

About Deloitte & Touche LLP

Deloitte & Touche LLP is the UK's fastest growing major professional services firm based in 21 UK locations, with over 10,000 staff nationwide and fee income of £1,228 million in 2002/2003. It is a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a leading professional services organisation, delivering world class audit, tax, consulting and corporate finance services, with around 120,000 people in over 140 countries. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu is a Swiss Verein, and each of its national practices is a separate and independent legal entity. Deloitte & Touche LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.


 
Contact:
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Bethany Lucas
HotelBenchmark
+44 (0) 20 7007 0981
[email protected]
Also See: Patience, It May Take Until 2006 Before Hotel Performance Levels Seen in 2000 Are Matched Again / Deloitte / January 2004
2002 Hotel Data Suggests Regional UK Hotel Industry in Recovery, But Average Room Rate Continues to Fall in London / Jan 2003
Outlook Brightens for European Hotel Industry / Deloitte & Touche LLP / October 2003


To search Hotel Online data base of News and Trends Go to Hotel.Online Search

Home | Welcome! | Hospitality News | Classifieds | Catalogs & Pricing | Viewpoint Forum | Ideas/Trends
Please contact Hotel.Online with your comments and suggestions.