Liverpool and Blackpool hotels triumph

LIVERPOOL was in the top three performing cities in May for hotel figures, with big spikes in room revenue and achieved room rate, according to new figures from accountants and business advisers BDO.

The research also revealed Blackpool outperformed London and the regions with the highest increase in occupancy levels and rooms revenue.

With two bank holiday weekends and marked increases in domestic tourism, Blackpool saw occupancy levels spike to 75.4%.  This is up 13.6% on the same period last year and is the biggest increase in occupancy across the UK.

Rooms yield – otherwise known as revenue per available room – also jumped an impressive 21.7% compared with May 2014.  Again, this is the biggest jump in revenue across London and regional UK.

Liverpool saw average achieved room rate (AARR) climb to £70.81.

This is up 14.6% on the same period last year and is beaten only by Milton Keynes hotels, which climbed 15.5%.

By comparison, Manchester climbed 7.2% – however AARR is slightly higher in Manchester, at £72.28.

Rooms yield also jumped an impressive 19.5% compared with May 2014.  This is nearly double the increase for Manchester hotels, which climbed 10.3%.

BDO credits the boosted hotel performance in Liverpool on the RCOphth Annual Congress and the British Psychological Society Annual Conference; which were held in the city during the month of May.

Phil Storer, a partner at BDO LLP in the North West said: “The leisure industry is going from strength to strength as the economy improves, and it’s fantastic that Liverpool and Blackpool are emerging as a key performer.

“This is an incredibly positive sign and hoteliers in those areas should bear in mind that the new post-recession economy is very much consumer-led.

“The saying ‘make hay while the sun shines’ is very appropriate, and no doubt the 54 cruise ships set to dock in Liverpool this year will continue to boost tourist numbers.”