Two major hotel groups are reporting surging numbers, further proof that the travel recovery is very real.
Ongoing strength in leisure travel and an acceleration in the recovery of group demand pushed Marriott International’s second-quarter performance to or above 2019 levels. Hilton also is reporting much stronger numbers than expected.
Excluding its hotels in the Greater China region, Marriott’s global June revenue per available room (RevPAR in hotel parlance) came in at 1% above 2019 levels, Marriott CEO Tony Capuano said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call, according to Hotel News Now. Worldwide occupancy reached 71%, only 5 percentage points below pre-pandemic levels, while global average daily rate was 8% above June 2019 levels.
Demand across all customer segments improved during the second quarter, he said. Record leisure demand strengthened further during the quarter with global leisure transient room nights 14% above the second quarter of 2019.
RevPar in Canada and the U.S. in June was down only 1%. In March it was down 17%.
The Sheraton Maui on Ka’anapali Beach is part of Marriott.
Marriott recently opened several new hotels in Canada, including the W Hotel near Yonge and Bloor Streets in Toronto and The Dorian, a Mariott Autograph Collection hotel in downtown Calgary.
Reuters and MSN recently reported that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. raised its full-year profit forecast. The news site said Hilton “stands to gain as Americans spent more on international travel as well as hotel stays, though rising inflation remains a concern in the travel industry.”
The hotel operator said it expects net income of $1.15 billion (USD) to $1.22 billion this year, compared to its previous prediction of $1 billion to $1.07 billion.
Canada’s first Canopy by Hilton brand is slated to open later this year on Bloor Street near Sherbourne Street in Toronto.
