First-quarter results: Europe down, United States up

Of course, the impact of the pandemic is weighing on the results of hotel groups, which are all expected to fall in the first quarter of 2021. However, with a gradual improvement in demand in certain marketsIn the United States, China and Dubai in particular, the horizon seems to be slowly opening up. Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta, for example, said " satisfied"  results for the first three months of the year, while his counterpart at Hyatt, Mark Hoplamazian, considers that they have " exceeded expectations" .

However, the American group saw its revenue per room - RevPAR - fall by 48.9 1Q3 compared with the first quarter of 2020. With a smaller range of budget and mid-range hotels, which are relatively more resistant to the crisis because they depend primarily on domestic customers, Hyatt is doing less well than Hilton, whose RevPAR is down by "only" 38.4 % compared with the start of 2020. With a decline in revenue per room of 33.7 1Q3, IHG outperforms the competition and is benefiting from the development of demand in China, but above all in the United States, where the British group has a strong presence.

On the other hand, the mood is gloomier for the other main European players. The Spanish group Melia, for example, reported a fall in revenues of more than 70 %. Its chairman, Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, said that "the first-quarter results are not surprising given the stagnation in demand created by a third wave of the pandemic. " The absence of international customers and MICE events led the group to close half of its hotels over the period. " Unsurprisingly "Accor and its CEO Sébastien Bazin sound the same note, commenting on a drop in sales of 48 % compared with the first quarter of 2020, and -57 % compared with the same period in 2019.

The results announced by hotel groups say a great deal about the dynamics of recovery around the world, with Europe still at the heart of the Covid stormHowever, there are signs of improvement elsewhere. Hilton hotel occupancy exceeded 40 % in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East/Africa and was close to 50 % in the United States. On the other hand, it did not even reach 20 % in Europe, stagnating at 19.3 %.

Europe lags behind the United States and China

Similarly, the occupancy levels of Accor hotels by continent also speak for themselves. In Asia-Pacific, passenger numbers rose to 42.3 1TP3QDespite travel restrictions in China in January and February, the situation improved significantly in March. The United Arab Emirates is another market to have recovered, driving up hotel occupancy in the India/Middle East/Turkey region, which averaged 36.9 1TP3Q. "Dubai recorded strong growth in European travellers due to the largely relaxed border restrictions", notes Accor in particular.

This upturn in business contrasts with the situation in Europe, where many countries were subject to strict containment measures at the start of the year. In Northern Europe, hotel occupancy barely exceeded 15 %. This virtual absence of customers is leading hoteliers to adopt an accommodating pricing policy for the rare travellers, resulting in a parallel fall in the average price. As a result, in the first quarter of last year and compared with the start of 2019, revenue per room fell by more than 85 % in Germany and the United Kingdom, where most hotels were closed due to a government decision.

The other way round, the absence of containment in France over the period has in some ways "sustained" activityRevPAR for Accor hotels fell by only 60.8 1Q3. The Group notes that this figure " reflects an improvement on the fourth quarter of 2020, driven by the French provinces (-49.4%), where domestic business customers were particularly strong" . However, the Group expects the second quarter to be more difficult for the French hotel industry, due to the new containment measures introduced in April.

Hoteliers optimistic about the months ahead

So what can we expect in the months ahead? Most of the heads of the major hotel groups are reasonably optimistic. Christopher Nassetta, of Hilton, believes that the improvement seen recently should continue: " We expect this positive momentum to continue." he said. A view shared by Mark Hoplamazian, CEO of Hyatt: " We are optimistic about continued growth in demand in the coming months and for the rest of 2021. "

With the vaccination campaigns now in full swing and the coming summer holidaysThe outlook is indeed more favourable. Although he is extremely cautious, Gabriel Escarrer Jaume expects " a return to near-normal conditions "The Spanish hotel operator is counting in particular on the return of American tourists to fill the rooms of its many establishments in the Caribbean and Mexico. The Spanish hotelier is counting in particular on the return of American tourists to fill the rooms in its many establishments in the Caribbean and Mexico. In Mexico, bookings at Melia hotels have almost returned to 2019 levels.

While considering that " the risk of volatility remains for the rest of the year" Keith Barr, CEO of the IHG Group, points out that the data drawn from bookings made " clearly indicate further improvement over the coming months. "

Last year, the improvement seen during the summer did not last long, as the pandemic resumed in the autumn. Will vaccination stop the tide turning this year?So, what are the chances of a real upturn in business travel and corporate events in the autumn? While betting heavily on leisure customers in the months ahead, hoteliers are certainly hoping so. In addition to the good signals from the leisure clientele, Hyatt's CEO also foresees " positive indicators in other travel segments. "