Blackpool hotel market out in cold

Blackpool's hoteliers suffered a decline in yield per room as bookings fell in June, in contrast to good months for Chester, Liverpool and Manchester, according to figures released by PKF Hotel Consultancy Services.

The resort lags behind other hotel markets in the region in Chester, Manchester and Liverpool. Occupancy rates in Blackpool trailed behind June 2010 by 5.4% at 67.5% whilst room rate fell 0.4% to £59.65 resulting in a room yield of £40.26 per available room, down 5.7%. Revenue per available room was also down annually, by 5.5% to £36.24.

See tables below

Chester enjoyed a positive month with an overall room yield of £48.83, a rise of 7.3% month-on-month and 5.2% annually.

Manchester hoteliers enjoyed a particularly strong month, in part thanks to the eight nights Take That spent in the city entertaining a total of nearly 500,000 people. Occupancy reached 83.8%, a rise of 10.7% from 75.7% in June 2010.

Manchester's room rate also improved by 8.2%, from £73.87 in June 2010 to £79.90 this year. Overall, this drove an impressive room yield increase of 19.8% from £55.90 to £66.96.

Looking at the cumulative year-to-date figures, the first six months of the year were positive for Manchester. Room rate is up 1.5% from £74.33 to £75.41 and occupancy has risen 1.6% to 74.5%. Rooms yield has increased 3%, from £54.53 in the first six months of last year to £56.18 in the same period this year.

Liverpool enjoyed an increased occupancy of 4.5%, rising to 73.8%. Despite room rate falling 2.3% to £63.84, the overall rooms yield increased 2.1% from £46.16 to £47.11. In terms of year-to-date figures, occupancy levels rose in Liverpool by 2.9% to 69.3%; however room rate fell 3.6% resulting in a rooms yield of £46.80, a 0.7% drop on last year.

Jane Jackson, partner at PKF, commented: "It was heartening to see such a positive month in the North West hotel market, although the economic backdrop is still challenging so hoteliers should not get too comfortable yet. As the holiday season begins to start in earnest, and with many households still under pressure from increasing petrol and food prices, hoteliers will be crossing their fingers for staycations to once again boost their summer figures."