Accor's results for the first quarter of 2022 confirm the relatively limited effect of the Omicron variant on the upturn in hotel activity seen since last summer. Like most players in the sector, the French group has seen a steady rise in revenue per room (RevPAR) since the second quarter of 2021. In the end, the damage caused by the surge in variants was limited to December and January, before picking up again in February, followed by a recovery in September. acceleration from March. A month in which the occupancy rate had already risen to a higher level than in the fourth quarter of 2021.
While leisure customers have been supporting the sector since the end of the first lock-up period, Accor notes that the upturn seen since the beginning of the year is also ". the fruit of a sustained rebound in business customers "as in "the accelerating recovery of international customers "with the reopening of many borders. Thanks to this, the group has unveiled a +85% increase in sales701 million for the first quarter of 2022 compared with the first quarter of 2021. For its part, RevPAR more than doubled over the period (+108%), while logically remaining down on the first quarter of 2019 (-25%).
However, while the French group estimates domestic customers should return to levels comparable to 2019". by the end of the year" and international travel - with the exception of Asia - is gradually returning to normal, the outlook is looking much brighter. The increase in RevPAR announced by Accor is the result of both growth in hotel occupancy and an improvement in the quality of service. sharp rise in prices, " above the 2019 level for the last four months at group level" Accor stresses in its press release. Business travellers are going to have to get used to this rate increase, as the positive trend in demand and the rise in inflation are pushing up room prices in the long term.
" Accor's performance in the first quarter of 2022 confirms a clear upturn in business across all regions and the renewed dynamism of the tourism, catering and leisure sectorssaid Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO of the French group. They were driven in particular by the dynamism of our markets in Europe, the Middle East and the Americas, as well as strong demand for our Luxury and Lifestyle hotels and domestic travel. "
A geographical analysis of quarterly results reveals the dynamics in different parts of the world. While most regions are still reporting lower results than in 2019, around 20% in Southern Europe and 30% in Northern Europe, some regions, on the other hand, have exceeded pre-Covid. Unsurprisingly, business in the Middle East is being driven by the Dubai World Expo, but also by the wider reopening of Saudi Arabia's holy cities to pilgrims. As a result, RevPAR for the India, Africa, Middle East & Turkey region is 8% above the first quarter 2019 level. Lagging for many months, another part of the world is also seeing an upturn in its hotel business: South America. RevPAR rose by +5% compared to the first quarter of 2019, explained by Accor by " a recovery in demand from business customers" .
The reopening of borders encourages the return of international business customers
For its part, Australia, while far from exceeding pre-Covid levels - RevPAR for the Pacific region remains at -31% at the start of 2019 - is gradually picking up again. Long closed to international travel and also limiting local travel, the spearhead of the Pacific region has benefited from both the reopening of domestic borders, which has generated a rebound in domestic tourism to leisure destinations. From February, the reopening of external borders has boosted business customer numbers. In the same vein, in Southeast Asia, the reopening of borders in Singapore, Bali, Vietnam and Thailand helped hoteliers' situations to improve, even though RevPAR in the region remained stable compared with the start of 2019, at -55%.
Closer to home, in Europe, the upturn in international travel is also benefiting hoteliers in major cities. In France, for example, while the provinces remain the most dynamic area, the Paris region is the least dynamic, performance gap closes as international business customers return. The same is true of the United Kingdom, where London is also benefiting from the upturn in travel, particularly from the United States. Among the major European countries, Germany, on the other hand, lagged behind due to tighter and longer health restrictions. As a result, RevPAR was down by -62% compared with the first quarter of 2019. " However, these restrictions have been lifted since the beginning of April and an improvement in activity is now visible." emphasises Accor, which has a strong presence in this market.
Finally, while the United States and China were the first to see a recovery in hotel activity, the situation in the first quarter of 2022 is mixed. On the other side of the Atlantic, the French group notes that after a difficult January, a " strong rebound "As a result, RevPAR for the North America/Central and Caribbean region fell by just -22% compared with the first quarter of 2019. As a result, the decline in RevPAR for the North America/Central and Caribbean region is limited to -22% compared with the first quarter of 2019. Conversely, in China, RevPAR fell sharply by -42% compared with the first quarter of 2019, due to the emergence of the Omicron variant and the "zero Covid" strategy pursued by the country.
At the same time as announcing these results, Accor confirmed its development ambitions with net network growth of +3.5% expected for the whole of 2022. While 26 hotels were added in the first quarter, the pace of openings is expected to pick up from the second quarter onwards. At the end of March 2022, the Group had 777,849 rooms and 5,304 hotels worldwide, and 212,000 rooms and 1,212 hotels in the pipeline.
