Dubai hotels post 84.8 per cent occupancy in April

Dubai: Hotels in Dubai saw occupancy reach 84.8 per cent in April, up 2.2 per cent over the same period last year, according to preliminary data released on Monday by STR Global, hotel industry data provider.

Average daily rate (ADR) was up 11.4 per cent to stand at Dh1,065.92, boosting revenue per available room (RevPAR-a benchmark for performance) to Dh903.87, up 13.9 per cent.

“ADR remained the driving force behind double-digit RevPAR growth in April, posting the highest levels for the month since 2008,” said Elizabeth Winkle, managing director of STR Global, in a statement.

The number of hotel rooms in Dubai at the end of 2013 stood at 84,534. By early 2017, around 25,000 more rooms are expected to come on line, with a large portion of the supply in the three- and four-star segment.

In the Middle East and Africa, meanwhile, 125 hotels are expected to open during the rest of the year, adding 27,775 more rooms, according to STR Global.

As per the report, hotel occupancy in Dubai in March stood at 87.2 per cent, down 1.2 per cent over the corresponding time a year ago, while ADR reached Dh1.089.82, boosting RevPAR to Dh950.68.