London hotels see room rates increase in April

STR’s preliminary April 2019 data for London hotels reported an increase in Average daily rate (ADR) of 1.4% to £143.01.

According to the report, year-over-year, supply is increased by 2.3% during the month, with demand also growing by 0.7%. However, occupancy decreased by 1.6% to 81.1% during the period, and Revenue per available room (RevPAR) also slipped 0.1% to £115.99.

A statement by the group read: “The absolute ADR level is the highest for any April in STR’s London database. STR analysts attribute the decrease in occupancy to supply growth, and to a lesser extent, the Easter calendar shift from early April last year.”

It comes as UK hoteliers saw an “encouraging start” to the year as a result of a “healthy rise” in hotel demand from international travellers.

The findings from Expedia Group, drawn from Q1 2019 data (January, February, March), show that demand for trips made by international travellers increased when compared with the same period last year, with major metropolitan cities and several regions across the country boosted by double digit year-on-year growth.

Outside of London, a number of major cities experienced notable growth, including Manchester (over +10% year on year), Edinburgh (+15% year on year), Glasgow, Leeds and Cardiff (each +10% year on year).