Subdued December for UK hotels

Hotels in Manchester and Liverpool reported the largest drop in revenue per available room (revpar) across the country in December.

Manchester saw revpar drop by 10.9% year-on-year, while Liverpool posted a 9.5% drop, based on current month data from Hotstats.

Cardiff also recorded a 7.5% decrease, with revpar falling to £67.30.

By contrast, London reported revpar growth of 6.8%, with figures rising to £187.78, roughly triple that of Cardiff and over five times that of Aberdeen.

While Bristol’s revpar grew by 7.3%, the average daily rate (ADR) fell by 7.1% to £103.07.

In fact, London was the only city to report ADR growth during the period (see graph below), which was minimal (3.4%) even then.

ADR fell by as little as 0.1% (Aberdeen) and as much as 8.5% (Cardiff) year on year.

Edinburgh reported a 6.3% dip in room rates to £154.50, despite occupancy rising to 78.6%, making it one of the most sought after destinations in the UK after London, which achieved 81.4% occupancy.

However, in the context of rolling 12-month data, Edinburgh was one of the strongest performers in the UK, achieving revpar growth of 8.3% and ADR of £181.74. Glasgow also reported the highest revpar boost (11.5%) during the period.

Image: Shutterstock/Stephen Bridger