HVS Monday Musings: Indian Hotel Sector – Nine-month Performance Review
The first nine months of 2021 have been a mixed bag for the Indian hotel sector, which is currently on the path to recovery thanks to the growing domestic leisure travel. During the nine-month period ending September 2021 (9M2021), the sector witnessed a 3-5% increase in RevPAR across India compared to the same period in 2020. In 9M2021, nationwide occupancy was in the region of 41-44%, an increase of more than 9 percentage points over the previous year. While occupancy is rising because of the pent-up demand in the market, average rates are struggling as hotels try to shore up occupancy. Average rates declined by more than 19% in 9M2021 compared to the same period in the previous year. Growing demand for domestic leisure travel amidst international travel restrictions helped Goa record the highest RevPAR in the country during the period, while Chandigarh had the highest RevPAR growth.