STR report says that Canada saw occupancy rate rise to 63.4 pc in May 2022, which was 6.7 pc below the level in May 2019, but higher than September 2019 (IO Photos)
Canada’s monthly hotel performance improved from the previous month yet again, and room rates reached the highest level since September 2019, says STR in a report about May 2022 data.
STR says that overall Canada saw occupancy rate rise to 63.4 pc in May 2022, which was 6.7 pc below the level in May 2019, but higher than September 2019. The average daily rate was CAD171.37, 2.8 pc higher than in May 2019 and revenue per available room rose to CAD108.67, 4.1 pc below May 2019, but highest since October 2019 while occupancy was its highest since August 2021.
“Overall, May was a strong month for Canada hotels, with many of the segments that have lagged in recovery showing real improvement,” says Laura Baxter, CoStar Group’s director of hospitality analytics for Canada. CoStar Group is the parent company of STR.
“The main recovery driver is still strong leisure demand, as a surplus in household savings is being spent on travel and hotels,” Baxter said. “Weekend metrics therefore benefited and continued on an upward trajectory, with room rates reaching double-digit growth and occupancy returning to pre-pandemic levels for the first time. Weekday demand (Monday through Wednesday) continues to lag, while Thursday and Sunday, which are typically check-out days for corporate and leisure guests, respectively, are bouncing back quicker than the other weekdays. This could suggest that travelers are extending their weekend stay on either night, blending working remotely from a hotel with some leisure nights. Group demand once again reached a pandemic-era high in May, and as more large conferences and citywide events are taking place, we expect this number to climb again in June, which should benefit urban locations,” she adds.
Among the provinces and territories, Manitoba recorded the highest May occupancy level (69.4 pc), which was 2 pc above the pre-pandemic comparable.
Among the major markets, Vancouver saw the highest occupancy (76 pc), which was an 8.5 pc decline from 2019.
The lowest occupancy among provinces was reported in Prince Edward Island (51.9 pc), down 11.8 pc against 2019. At the market level, the lowest occupancy was reported in Edmonton (a drop of 2.4 pc to 55.3 pc).
“Now that there are no longer government subsidies propping up the sector, hotels are fully reliant on stronger operating performance to service debt, and many are in a compromised state from the pandemic,” Baxter says. “However, Canada’s hotel performance outlook for the summer is tremendously strong. The most recent forecast for 2022 has been revised upward based on ADR rising quicker than expected. Rates are now expected to be at USD 167 this year, exceeding pre-pandemic levels in nominal terms next year. Occupancy is forecasted at 58 pc and will come close to 2019 levels next year. There are some macroeconomic headwinds and a possibility of a recession. If discretionary spending is heavily impacted, and there is a downturn in performance, more distressed transaction activity is a possibility. Currently, this is only a downside risk to the outlook. Uncertainty surrounding how quickly and how high interest rates will rise, in addition to the increasing cost of capital, may keep transaction volumes low in the second half of 2022,” says Baxter.
