Hotel occupancy in Birmingham experienced an increase in the
last six months of 2011, according to recently released LJ
Forecaster data.
November crowned a highly successful six months, reaching 74%
during November 2011 - the highest rate since October 2007 - with
average hotel occupancy for July to December 2011 reaching 64%, 2%
higher than the same period during the previous year.
Ian Taylor, Commercial Director at Marketing Birmingham,
said:
"These are positive results in what continues to be a
challenging time for hoteliers. Consumers on a tight budget are
enjoying city breaks in the UK rather than travelling overseas and
Birmingham has taken full advantage of this. Events taking place
during November - such as the opening of the Frankfurt Christmas
Market, a number of high-profile music concerts, and the arrival of
early Christmas shoppers led to a highly successful November for
Birmingham's hotels, with occupancy rates on Saturdays reaching
92%.
"With exciting events such as the Diamond Jubilee and Olympic
Games taking place in 2012, as well as a whole host of major
sporting events, we expect this summer to be equally successful for
hotels in Birmingham. A further 27 hotels are currently in the
pipeline, enabling the city to provide additional bed spaces to the
30,000 already available for visitors."
Hotels in the city centre have performed particularly well, with
some 80% of hotel rooms occupied in November. The Frankfurt
Christmas Market, which opened on 16th November last year, played a
key role in keeping hotel occupancy level at a higher rate -
attracting 3.1 million visitors in 2011.
Jane Schofield is Managing Director of Birmingham-based Hotel La
Tour, which is due to open next month. She added:
"This news is particularly positive as we near opening at the
end of March. Location is key to us - Birmingham has an enviable
location in the centre of the UK with great accessibility. It's
easy for people to get to whether they're staying for leisure or
business. So far, response for conference and training facilities
has been excellent and we have already secured £500,000 worth
of advanced conference bookings."
The hotels' success in November follows a 71% hotel occupancy
rate in September for Birmingham - the highest September for four
years - following the Liberal Democrats' party conference in the
city.