Interstate Hotels & Resorts, the international arm of Aimbridge Hospitality, has surpassed 60% occupancy rates across its UK portfolio in the first half of the year, as the hard-hit hospitality sector resurgence continues.
The third-party management company reported occupancy rates of 64.35% in June, exceeding the average UK occupancy rate of 58%.
Further increases to more than 90% are anticipated throughout the summer months, as demand for leisure travel accelerates.
Nicholas Northam, executive vice president - international at Interstate Hotels & Resorts, (pictured), said, “We are expecting to see occupancies exceeding 90% in coastal areas this summer across our UK hotels and resorts as the country moves into step four of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown.
“The impact of the pandemic on society and the hospitality industry will without doubt be long-lasting, but it gives us great confidence to see customers returning to our hotels and occupancy figures rising.
“Our fluid business planning meant that more than 65 percent of Interstate-operated hotels were able to stay open throughout the pandemic with some of our properties catering exclusively for key workers, quarantine business and sectors still able to travel during Covid-19 restrictions, such as sports, entertainment, construction and government.
“This meant that Interstate was well-placed to meet rising demand levels during the first half of the year thanks to having new Covid-19 systems and processes already in place.”
Interstate ended 2020 in a strong position, with 31 properties from Jupiter Hotels’ UK portfolio moving into under its management.
Northam added, “Last year saw our growth at historical numbers, the best year we’ve ever had in terms of hotel portfolio additions. We welcomed more than 30 properties from Jupiter Hotels into our UK offering and opened up numerous new properties, too, including the Hampton by Hilton Canterbury and the famous Bodmin Jail Hotel in Cornwall.
“We’ve adapted well as a business; our teams have been flexible and sought out new business opportunities and we are looking forward to adding more new properties to our portfolio, both in the UK and internationally, in 2021.
“If the past 18 months have taught us anything it is to approach every challenge with an open mind, and we have the right people in place to do that. We’re looking forward to the second half of 2021 and to working with our owners to ensure that our guests have the best possible experience as they return to business and leisure travel.”
In July, Aimbridge Hospitality reported growth in the first half of 2021 in the US, with RevPAR index gains over 2020 and 2019.
Mike Deitemeyer, president and CEO of Aimbridge Hospitality, said, 'We are proud of the results our team delivered during the first half of the year accelerating demand. Importantly, with our expertise across all verticals, we captured the growth most profitable for each category.'