The latest data compiled by STR Global shows hotels in the UAE had a difficult year with falling occupancy rates and a 28.3 percent drop in revenue per available room (revPar) to AED 766.11 in November. The year-on-year average daily rate (ADR) also fell more than 21 percent to AED 1,015.23.
By contrast, figures for Saudi Arabia showed an increase in all three categories: hotel occupancy rates increased over three percent to 63 percent in November, compared to the previous year. RevPar increased 17.5 percent to SR 571.85, and ADR increased nearly 14 percent to SR 911.64. STR Managing Director Elizabeth Randall said that overall, revPar in the Middle East hotels dropped by an average of 16 percent year-on-year. She said the revPar figure for the Middle East Africa region dropped only 13.8 percent at $95.63 – “ the highest revPar for the world regions for the 11 months of this year.”