COVID-19 webinar summary: 5 key points on Benelux hotel performance, 30 July

Knowing you might not have time to watch our full webinars, we are pleased to continue our series of COVID-19 webinar summaries. In this latest edition, we talk performance in in key markets from the Benelux.

Summer impact: domestic demand on the rise

With summer beginning, The Hague posted the region’s highest occupancy level for the July month-to-date period (68%) followed closely by Maastricht (62%). During that time, Utrecht and Brussels posted the lowest occupancy level in the region, 24% and 25%, respectively.

Regional markets are leading the recovery

Regional markets in the Benelux are leading the recovery while main cities have lagged. For example, Belgium Provincial posted the country’s highest occupancy level (42%), while Brussels occupancy was 25.3% for the week ending 26 July.

Hotel class impact

All hotel classes in the Benelux have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the Luxury/Economy segments have been the most affected in the Netherlands. Luxury hotels sat at 29.6% occupancy, and Economy hotels posted a 27.6% occupancy. For comparison, Upper Upscale and Midscale posted the highest occupancy level of 34.7%.

Resilient Extended Stay Accommodation

During lockdown, extended-stay accommodation in Amsterdam has shown resilience. Since lockdown started in the Netherlands on 15 March, the market posted its lowest occupancy level on 26-27 May, 8.7% and 8.6%, respectively. However, on 25 July the market sat at 37.5% occupancy, similar levels as before lockdown in March.

An update on Belgium’s occupancy on the books

Powered by Forward STAR data, the below image includes occupancy on the books for the next 90 days (as of 27 July) in Belgium, and further insights are provided in the full webinar recording. Occupancy-on-the-books intelligence will help us all understand recovery and provide much-needed context. Those insights can be accessed for free when you submit your data. If you are interested, please email sales@str.com.

For further insights into COVID-19’s impact on global hotel performance, visit our content hub.