Hotel Occupancy

After enduring a low first quarter, Royal Orchid Hotels expects occupancy level to bounce back and reach around 80 per cent in the third and fourth quarters, according to company President Arjun Baljee. Various factors, including low business travels, heatwave and competition from international destinations like Thailand impacted occupancies in the first quarter. In the first quarter, the company, which operates 107 properties, had an overall occupancy level of 70 per cent. "We are very optimistic. We have seen in Q2 a nice little bounce back, and Q3 and Q4 the business on books actually looks really good," Baljee told PTI. Asked about the occupancy levels, he said,"This quarter will be in the mid to high 70s. Then we're looking at the early 80s, and let's say the mid-80s is where I think, Q3 and Q4 should end up." Reflecting on the Q1 performance, he said historically from an India perspective for 'business-centric' hotels, "Q1 is always the worst" due to a variety of reasons, ...

As winter sets in and large parts of India battle smog, people are taking a short break in places that offer respite

Premium hotel occupancy in India is estimated to be at a decadal-high of 70-72 per cent with average room rates expected around Rs 6,000 to Rs 6,200 in FY24, ratings agency ICRA said on Wednesday. Consistent improvement in consumer sentiments despite the inflationary environment, stable corporate performance, and domestic air passenger traffic inching above pre-Covid levels augur well for travel and hotel demand, ICRA said in a statement. The ratings agency said it "estimates pan-India premium hotel occupancy at around 70-72 per cent in FY2024, after recovering to 68-70 per cent in FY2023." Pan-India premium hotel average room rates (ARRs) are expected to be at Rs 6,000 to Rs 6,200 in FY2024, it added. "While the occupancy is expected to be at decadal highs, the RevPAR (Revenue per available room) is expected to remain at a 20-25 per cent discount to the FY2008 peak," ICRA said. ICRA Ltd Vice President and Sector Head Corporate Ratings, Vinutaa S said gateway cities like Delhi an

Occupancy in hotels has increased to about 90 per cent in Shimla during the weekend as vacationers are making a beeline to the 'queen of hills' to escape the scorching heat. While the hotel occupancy here went up on Saturday, the summer rush during weekdays is yet to pick up, vice president of Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association Prince Kukreja told PTI. The peak summer tourist season starts from April 15 onwards till June 15 in Himachal Pradesh. The summer vacations in the schools in the plain areas also start from May end and a large number of people take to the hills to beat the heat. The majority of the people are coming on short notice and there is a decline in advance bookings, Kukreja said. The room occupancy is about 80-90 per cent on weekends but it drops to 30-40 per cent during the weekdays, said M K Seth, president of the Tourism Industry Stakeholders Association. A total of 1,57,335 vehicles entered and exited Shimla from Shoghi Barrier on Chandigarh-Shimla road si

Occupancy in hotels and homestays has increased to about 80 per cent as tourists from the neighbouring states are making a beeline to Shimla to enjoy the long weekend under the bracing climate. The influx of tourists in the hill town is causing traffic jams on the main roads, including the Shimla-Kalka National Highway and long queues of vehicles moving at a snail's pace are causing inconvenience to both the locals and the vacationers. Vice President of Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association Prince Kukreja told PTI that the hotel occupancy has increased to about 80 per cent in Shimla and the peak summer tourist season will start from April 15 onwards till June 15. As temperatures have started rising in the plains the visitor rush is picking up ahead of tourist season. Vehicles parked on the roads and in front of hotels by the tourists coming without advance booking coupled with construction going on under the Shimla Smart City project have become major traffic bottlenecks. A numb

Tourists made a beeline to resorts in Shimla, Manali and Kufri after a fresh snowfall, increasing the occupancy in hotels to almost 70 per cent. As many as 7,164 vehicles had entered Shimla through Shoghi border in 12 hours till 8 pm on Friday. The occupancy in hotels is expected to further rise by 10 per cent by the evening, vice president of Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association Prince Kukreja said. The police have advised the tourists to keep in mind the heavy inflow of traffic to Shimla before planning their trip, drive safely at slippery points and call 0177-2812344 or 112 in case of emergency. Slippery road conditions after rain and sleet caused great inconvenience for pedestrians and people came out only after the snow was cleared. Manali received 23 cm of snow followed by 16 cm in Khadrala, 16 cm in Shillaro, 12 cm in Kufri, 10 cm in Bharmour, 6 cm each in Shimla and Gondla, 4 cm each in Dalhousie and Kalpa and 3 cm each in Hansa and Keylong. The meteorological station

The situation post March has turned for the worse with occupancies (quarantine, medical staff) at around 20 per cent levels, indicated analysts

Travellers staying in a hotel room costing over Rs 7,500 per night will now have to pay GST of 18 per cent, against 28 per cent earlier

A slowdown in addition of new supplies along with a growing travel sector has combined to push up the occupancy in hotels

The rising occupancy at branded hotels in the domestic market is yet to reflect on the room tariffs. Average occupancy rates is estimated to have hit a nine year high of 65 per cent in FY17 bringing cheer to the industry. Tariffs, even after an improvement, is lower than the last peak seen in several years of the last one decade. The average tariff for branded hotels declined 30 per cent since FY08 to Rs 5,541 in FY16, HVS data showed. Tariffs would have seen some growth in FY17 but would be nowhere closer to the Rs 6,000 plus rates seen between FY10 and FY12 and much lower to Rs 7,000 plus rates seen during the period between FY07 and FY09. While tariffs have not kept pace, cost of operations continue to go up due to higher wage cost, power tariffs and cost of consumables. In its 2016 report, hotel consultancy firm HVS said the increase average daily rate during FY16 was ordinary but points to an improvement in the health of the sector.Indian Hotels Company, which runs hotels under ..