UAE hotels are relying on food and beverage revenues from iftars and suhoors because of the decline in occupancy rates during Ramadan.
“The hospitality industry has always been accustomed to experiencing a drop in room occupancy during Ramadan, especially when it falls on summer season,” said Syed Zulfiqar Mehdi, the sales director at Samaya Hotel Deira in Dubai.
But iftars and suhoors are helping to offset loss of room revenues. Rotana has reported a 5-10 % drop in occupancy this Ramadan, and the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr has reported lows in occupancy which it has been successfully compensating through iftars and suhoors.
In the Middle East in general, occupancy was down by 1.2 per cent to 59.4 per cent, while the average room rate was down 3.1 per cent to $162.16.
