Occupancy levels at London hotels holding up - TRI

Occupancy levels at London's hotel chains proved relatively robust in June compared with the same period in 2008, according to the latest HotStats survey by TRI Hospitality Consulting. Occupancy rates reached 84.1%, only one percentage point below levels seen last year.

In the six months to June 2009, average occupancy levels in London dropped by 2.7 percentage points to 77.3%, while achieved average room rates were down 7.3% at £108.39, compared to the year-earlier period.

June is traditionally the best performing month in the capital, driven by strong corporate demand, leisure tourism and major events such as Wimbledon, which attracts over half a million visitors to London, TRI said. In order to drive volume, London hoteliers continued to discount room rates, which dropped by
8.8% in June 2009 compared to last year.

David Bailey, deputy managing director of TRI Hospitality Consulting, said the further decline in average room rates in June was 'partly attrributable to the tough comparables of the previous highs in June in past years'.