Dubai hotels had a positive start to 2014 with 87% occupancy: Ernst and Young

Dubai: Hotels in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries had a positive start to the year across key performance indicators, according to the latest report by global consultancy Ernst and Young.

While hotels in Dubai recorded 87 per cent occupancy in January, Abu Dhabi hotels posted 78 per cent, as per the report. These represented a slight drop of 2.6 per cent and one per cent, respectively, compared to the same period last year.

Average room rates (ARR) in Dubai hotels touched $337 (Dh1,237), while revenue per available room (RevPAR - an industry benchmark for performance) stood at $294.

In Abu Dhabi hotels, meanwhile, ARR reached $218 while RevPAR touched $171.

“As usual for the winter months, the GCC recorded positive growth across its key hospitality markets, with its mild winter weather, numerous tourist attractions and events attracting tourists from across the region and from around the globe,” Yousuf Wahbah, head of Transaction Real Estate for the region at Ernst and Young, said in an emailed statement.

Elsewhere in the region, hotels in Doha posted 70 per cent occupancy, up nine per cent. ARR reached $243, while RevPAR touched $171.

In Jeddah hotels, occupancy reached 74 per cent, marking one per cent growth, while ARR was $272 and RevPAR was $203.

Over in Cairo, hotel occupancy fell 6.8 per cent to 25 per cent. ARR stood at $83 and RevPAR touched $21.

Occupancy across Sharm Al Shaikh hotels reached 54 per cent, while ARR was $54 and RevPAR was $30.