While the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions and lockdown measures has provided an additional flow of guests for Europe’s reopening hotels, increases in some countries’ caseloads caused occupancy dips over recent weeks. One of those countries, Belgium, saw a 23.3% occupancy level for the week ending 23 August after posting a 24.6% occupancy for the week ending 16 August. Now the focus is whether this second-wave impact will extend into the coming months.
Occupancy on the books
At the market-level, Ghent stands out in bookings for the coming months. However, it is important to note that guest tendency to cancel at the last minute could bring levels downward. Occupancy on the books in the market (as of 17 August) sat as high as 44% for 24 October and 42% for 6 November.
On the other hand, Brussels occupancy on the books (as of 17 August) was just 12% for 9 November. Unfortunately, cancellations continue to be prevalent towards the end of the year. Fortunately, cancellations are not at the levels seen at the beginning of the pandemic even with a spike at the end of September and October.
