Hotels break record as visitors flock to big events
BIRMINGHAM’S hotels saw a record number of guests checking in during spring as visitors flocked to the city.
The hotels recorded 75 per cent occupancy of rooms between March and May – the best results for spring since records began in 2003, according to new data.
The figures are up from 74 per cent last year and 71 per cent in 2014, according to Marketing Birmingham’s Regional Observatory, which was provided by travel research company STR Global.
Among the events which contributed to the influx of visitors were the All England Badminton Championships at the Barclaycard Arena and Crufts at the National Exhibition Centre.
In addition, Park Regis launched its first European hotel in Birmingham following a £50 million renovation of the former Auchinleck House building, in Broad Street, and AC Hotel Birmingham, which has 90 bedrooms, made its UK debut at the Mailbox.
Emma Gray, director of marketing and communications at Meet Birmingham, the city’s official business tourism programme, said: “With a 17 per cent growth in domestic tourists since 2010, and the largest increase of international guests outside London in the last two years, Birmingham is welcoming more visitors than ever.
“It’s therefore encouraging to see the city’s rising popularity being mirrored by strong figures within its hotel sector.
“While a host of new brands have recently chosen to launch in Birmingham, there are a further 14 hotels, amounting to more than 2,000 bedrooms, in the pipeline, demonstrating the confidence that investors currently hold in Birmingham’s visitor economy and tourism offer.”
The average room rate in spring 2016 was £68, an increase of £7 year-on-year, while revenue per available room was £50, up from £45 in the same period last year.