Hotel News Now each week features a news roundup from a different region of the world. Today’s review covers the Americas.
Performance data for December
U.S.: In year-over-year results, the U.S. hotel industry’s occupancy increased 0.8% to 53%; its average daily rate was up 2.4% to $115.81; and its revenue per available room increased 3.2% to $61.41, according to data from Hotel News Now’s parent company STR.
Americas: Compared with 2014, the Americas region reported a 3.9% increase in occupancy to 58.1%; ADR grew 4.5% to $117.76; and RevPAR increased 0.4% to $68.45, according to HNN’s sister company, STR Global.
2015 record year for Cancun tourism
More than 5 million visitors stayed in Cancun in 2015, breaking the city’s previous record of 4.8 million set in 2014, according to a news release from the Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The Cancun and Puerto Morelos Hotel Association said Cancun’s average occupancy rate hit an all-time high of 82%. The organization also reports Cancun recorded an average occupancy rate that beat other resort cities. Cancun was the preferred destination for travelers in Mexico in 2015.
Spanish chains in Cuba welcome competition from US
Spanish hotel chains in Cuba are awaiting new competition once the embargo between the United States and Cuba is lifted, HNN correspondent Benjamin Jones reports.
The move to lift travel restrictions on U.S. passport holders won’t happen until almost a year after international relations between the U.S. and Cuba resume, but Spanish hoteliers are anticipating good times to come in Cuba.
“Cuba is waiting for the embargo to be over and they have in mind a big boost in hotel growth, not only in quantity but also in quality when the major U.S. chains come in,” said Arturo Garcia Rosa, president of the hotel consulting group RHC Latin America and founder of SAHIC.
STR analysis shows Airbnb’s impact on Manhattan is minor
An STR analysis of data provided by Airbnb for Manhattan shows that the scale of Airbnb units has a minor impact on hotel performance in the New York City borough.
The analysis shows Airbnb units do not take away guests from hotels and shows no pattern for undermining hotel pricing power. The units skew lower on the chain scale, with 60.7% of the Airbnb units falling in the midscale and economy classes compared to just 13% of hotel supply in those classes.
Campaign travel boosts tourism in US
According to the U.S. Travel Association, the U.S. presidential primary season is boosting tourism in the primary markets, The Hill reports.
Each visitor to the New Hampshire primary spent about $350 per day on transportation, hotel stays and food the week ahead of the primary, according to The Hill. Those figures include members of each campaign team as well as the reporters covering the election.
Deals and development
- Radisson Blu announced the opening of its first hotel in Latin America, the Radisson Blu Belo Horizonte hotel in Brazil, on 2 February. The company will also open a hotel in Chile in Q2 2016.
- Meliá Hotels International opened the Meliá Braco Village hotel in Rio Bueno, Jamaica, on 4 January. The hotel marks the company’s first property in Jamaica and its second hotel in the English-speaking Caribbean.
- On 28 January, Hilton Worldwide Holdings and Atlantica Hotels signed an agreement allowing Atlantica to develop and manage Hilton Garden Inn hotels in Brazil.
- Radisson Hotel Recife near Boa Viagem Beach, Brazil opened on February 15.
Complied by Danielle Hess.