Data reveals global hotel occupancy on upward trajectory

Worldwide: Travel tech company Amadeus has issued its latest report which reveals global hotel occupancy reaching two-thirds of pre-pandemic levels in April, with China and North America leading the recovery.

The report Rebuilding Hospitality: Trends in Demand, Data and Technology That are Driving Recovery combines hotelier insights with Amadeus business data to uncover global trends.

Worldwide occupancy has increased 15 percentage points from January 2021 to 46 per cent in April. Compared to April last year, that’s a total increase of 33 percentage points.

China and North America are leading the recovery, recording occupancy levels of 62 per cent and 51 per cent respectively during April 2021.

The data also shows that booking lead time is lengthening. In recent weeks, bookings made on the same day of travel have shrunk globally from 39 per cent in the first week of January 2021 to 23 per cent the last week of April 2021.

Francisco Pérez-Lozao Rüter, president of hospitality at Amadeus said: “The data and trends from this report are intended to draw together insights from hoteliers around the world as we work together as an industry to plan our recovery. With lower restrictions in place, the US market has provided some early indicators of traveller behaviour that could help other international hoteliers understand where they are in the stage of their own recovery. One of the key takeaways from our research and report is that technology will play a central role in the recovery of the hospitality industry, as we found globally 41 per cent of hoteliers plan to spend the same or more on IT this year than they did in 2019. At Amadeus, we are committed to investing in our industry and providing the technology that will help hotels to pivot their strategies and power future growth.”

Some of the hotelier insights provided in the report include:

• 30 per cent anticipate opening one or multiple sites in 2021

• 63 per cent believe that leisure travel will drive the recovery, with US, China and the rest of Asia seeing an increase in OTA bookings

• Over half of Asian hoteliers say they are considering asking for vaccine passports before permitting guests, whereas under half of American hoteliers say they will not be adopting this approach

• 59 per cent expect to hire new staff in 2021

Forecasts for long-term trends include enhanced hygiene measures, greater personalisation through contactless technology, and work staycations/investment in extended stay units.

Katie Moro, vice president of data partnerships in hospitality at Amadeus, added: “One year on from the start of the pandemic we are really pleased to see the early indications of traveller confidence and an uptick in some hotel bookings. Now, more than ever, data is so critically important across an entire hotel business as it informs not only revenue potential but also marketing strategies, staffing and occupancy profile. We want to help hoteliers understand how all the different pieces of data connect together. Data is the foundation that helps you build a better plan and from there, your property is so much stronger from the ground up.”

The Rebuilding Hospitality report relied on the survey data of 688 hoteliers worldwide. The full report can be downloaded here.