By Sam Bridge

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Posted inTravel & Hospitality

Riyadh hotel occupancy soars to four-year September high

STR says occupancy in the the Saudi capital increased by 26.7% to 56.3% last month compared to the same month in 2017

By Sam Bridge
Hotels in the the Saudi capital saw occupancy increase by 26.7 percent to 56.3 percent last month compared to the same month in 2017.
Hotels in the the Saudi capital saw occupancy increase by 26.7 percent to 56.3 percent last month compared to the same month in 2017.

Hotel occupancy in Riyadh soared to its highest September level for four years, according to new data from analysts STR.

Hotels in the the Saudi capital saw occupancy increase by 26.7 percent to 56.3 percent last month compared to the same month in 2017.

STR analysts said they attributed a 33.4 percent jump in demand – room nights sold – to four events hosted at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The 56.3 percent absolute occupancy level was the highest for any September in the market since 2014 while the highest occupancy night came on September 25 (78.5 percent), which was the first day of the SFDA Annual Conference & Exhibition.

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Average daily rates in the city hotels fell 8.7 percent, probably due to continued significant supply growth, which was nearly 6 percent in September.

STR data also showed that revenue per available room (RevPAR) increased by 15.7 percent last month.

The wider Middle East hospitality market reported a 7 percent decline in occupancy to 59.8 percent while ADR fell 18 percent and RevPAR slumped by nearly a quarter.

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