Birmingham records its highest hotel occupancy rate in four years
HOTEL occupancy in Birmingham is reaching new heights according to newly released data.
LJ Forecaster’s research shows a highly successful last six months of 2011, reaching 74% occupancy during November – the highest rate since October 2007 – with average hotel occupancy for July to December 2011 reaching 64%, 2% higher than the same period during the previous year.
The high occupancy rates go some way to explaining why so many hotel groups are keen to enter the Birmingham market.
Work recently started on the four star DoubleTree by Hilton hotel near Edgbaston cricket ground and earlier this week Staycity announced it is to open a 190 apartment aparthotel in Newhall Square in the city centre.
And another city centre hotel, Hotel La Tour, is due to open its doors next month.
Ian Taylor, commercial director at Marketing Birmingham, said: “These are positive results in what continues to be a challenging time for hoteliers.
“Consumers on a tight budget are enjoying city breaks in the UK rather than travelling overseas and Birmingham has taken full advantage of this. Events taking place during November – such as the opening of the Frankfurt Christmas Market, a number of high-profile music concerts, and the arrival of early Christmas shoppers led to a highly successful November for Birmingham’s hotels, with occupancy rates on Saturdays reaching 92%.”
Hotels in the city centre have performed particularly well, with some 80% of hotel rooms occupied in November. The Frankfurt Christmas Market, which opened on 16th November last year, played a key role in keeping hotel occupancy level at a higher rate – attracting 3.1m visitors in 2011.
Jane Schofield, managing director of Hotel La Tour, said: “This news is particularly positive as we near opening at the end of March. Location is key to us – Birmingham has an enviable location in the centre of the UK with great accessibility. It’s easy for people to get to whether they’re staying for leisure or business.
“So far, response for conference and training facilities has been excellent and we have already secured £500,000 worth of advanced conference bookings.”
