Leisure hotel rates realise record growth in May 2011

Leisure hotel rates realised record growth in May 2011, climbing almost +5% according to monthly data from Pegasus Solutions in The Pegasus View.

The corporate market, having suffered a brief booking dip in April, returned to bookings increases of +15% over 2010 in May, accompanied by rate increases of +6.5%.

Forward-looking data in April indicated a strong summer travel season for the leisure market, which was realised with reservations growth of +8.3% over prior year in May. Together, the rate and bookings increases drove a rise in global hotel revenue of +15% over prior year, surpassing the year-to-date growth pace of +12.5%.

“Rising leisure rates indicate rising demand, but consumers are keeping budgets in check by shortening trips and seeking out packages for the best value,” said Mike Kistner, Chief Executive Officer of Pegasus Solutions.

“Hotels can attract their fair share or more of this demand by offering value through distinctive packages – enticingly priced offerings involving additional nights, premium hotel services and/or local attractions – rather than invoking profit-eroding standard rate discounts.” Global corporate travel bookings jumped from April’s temporary growth slump to an increase of +15% in May. ADR growth for the channel kept to the year-to-date pace of +6.5% over 2010, and is expected to trend strongly through the third quarter. Pegasus’ forward-looking data, based on business on the books, shows corporate bookings ramping back to near +20% growth in the third quarter, with LOS and booking lead times also increasing.

The forecast for the leisure market is equally promising. Data shows steady leisure travel bookings growing at an average pace of +10% over 2010, accompanied by steady and potentially climbing rate growth through summer. Rates for the segment have been increasing for a solid year now, though at less than half of those for business travel.

Data reported in The Pegasus View comes from billions of transactions processed monthly by Pegasus Solutions, one of the world’s largest global processors of hotel transactions. It reflects data drawn from both GDS and ADS transactions, representing the business and leisure markets respectively for approximately 90,000 hotels worldwide.