LONDON – The hotel industry in the Middle East reported negative results during May 2017, while hotels in Africa recorded mixed results in the three key performance metrics, according to data from STR.

U.S. dollar constant currency, May 2017 vs. May 2016

Middle East

  • Occupancy: -5.9% to 64.4%
  • Average daily rate (ADR): -2.5% to US$150.47
  • Revenue per available room (RevPAR): -8.2% to US$96.88

Many hotel markets in the Middle East saw negative results as a result of the Ramadan calendar shift from early June 2016 to late May 2017.

Africa

  • Occupancy: -0.9% to 55.2%
  • Average daily rate (ADR): +11.6% to US$99.20
  • Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +10.5% to US$54.76

Local currency, May 2017 vs. May 2016

Qatar

  • Occupancy: -5.3% to 58.0%
  • ADR: -10.1% to QAR440.15
  • RevPAR: -14.8% to QAR255.08

The performance decline is primarily attributed to the Ramadan calendar shift and a comparison with non-holiday dates last year. The final six days of the month each resulted in RevPAR decreases of more than 40.0%. STR is continuing to monitor performance in the country following the 5 June announcement from several Arab nations to sever diplomatic relations with Qatar. However, it remains too early to identify any potential impact on hotel performance.

South Africa

  • Occupancy: +0.5% to 61.3%
  • ADR: +3.4% to ZAR1,115.24
  • RevPAR: +3.9% to ZAR683.20

The absolute RevPAR level was the highest for any May on record in South Africa. STRanalysts note that weekday business was the main driver of growth (RevPAR: +6.4% year over year), while weekend RevPAR actually declined 4.0%.

United Arab Emirates

  • Occupancy: -7.1% to 72.0%
  • ADR: -6.1% to AED514.33
  • RevPAR: -12.8% to AED370.43

In addition to the aforementioned Ramadan calendar shift, a 5.3% year-over-year increase in supply weighed on performance for the month. STR analysts note that corporate demand appears to be stable, with occupancy for Group bookings (bookings of 10 or more rooms at a time) up 10.4% for the month. Meanwhile, an 8.9% decline in Transient occupancy brought down overall performance.

About STR

STR provides premium data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights for the global hospitality industry. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 15 countries with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, an international headquarters in London, and an Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore. STR was acquired in October 2019 by CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP), the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces. For more information, please visit str.com and costargroup.com.

Alex Anstett
Media & Communications Coordinator - STR
STR

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