Opening of Rugby World Cup achieves dramatic rise in revpar

02 October 2015 by Janet Harmer

The opening weekend of the Rugby World Cup 2015 provided a boost to hotel businesses, with the host cities reporting a significant growth in revenue per available room (revpar), according to data collected by STR Global.

The four venues to host a match during the opening weekend of the six-week tournament all averaged year-on-year revpar increases of more than 25.0%: Cardiff (148.5%); Gloucester (37.4%); Brighton (28.2%); and London (27%).

When Wales played host to Uruguay on Sunday at the Millennium Stadium, revpar rose by 194.6% to £88.42, driven by a 35.6% increase in occupancy to 78.8% and a 117.2% rise in average daily rate (ADR) to £112.18.

Gloucester reported revpar increases of more than 40% on both Saturday and Sunday, even though the city did not host a match on Sunday. Revpar reached £83.73 for Saturday on the back of a 97.4% occupancy rate and a 44.5% increase in ADR to £86.

Brighton hotels saw a minor dip in revpar on Friday (-1.2%) but reported increases of 23.4% and 62.5% on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Saturday's revpar of £150.05 was driven by a 24.7% increase in ADR to £159.99. On Sunday, revpar reached £51.64 thanks to a 28.2% increase in occupancy to 60.1% and a 26.8% rise in ADR to £85.99.

London's revpar growth was driven by ADR increases of more than 15% each day. Occupancy remained stable with the exception of a 12.3% increase to 79.3% on Sunday. The opening ceremony and match featuring England and Fiji led to a 121.7% revpar increase on Friday for hotels within a 5km radius of Twickenham Stadium.

The Rugby World Cup 2016, which runs until 31 October, is expected to result in more than 400,000 international visitors and the sale of 2.45 million tickets.

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