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24 February 2015 – Expansión
More specialisation will be required to combat the maturity of the market.
According to Tinsa, the number of hotels has grown by 13.7% over the last seven years. By the end of 2014, there were 7,840 establishments and 1.26 million rooms in Spain.
In its Hotel Market 2014 study, prepared on the basis of the assessment of 2,700 establishments – 35% of the total market in Spain – the appraisal company states that the construction of a five star hotel requires an average investment of €262,000 per room, compared with €135,000 per room for a four star hotel, even though the number of rooms is typically similar in both cases – around 140. For three star accommodation, the investment required is around €89,000 per room. The report shows that profitability increases in line with the category. A five star hotel generates €29,600 per room per year, compared with €14,800 for a four star establishment. Revenue per available room (RevPar) is €117 for five star hotels and €60 for four star properties.
Tinsa indicates that, over the coming years, differentiation will become increasingly important. The hotel industry will undergo a similar transformation to that experienced by the airlines with the arrival of low cost competitors; some chains are already beginning to distinguish themselves with services such as mobile check-in.
Original story: Expansión (by Y. Blanco)
Translation: Carmel Drake