Hope for hotels as occupancy grows by 5%

HOTEL occupancy grew almost 5% last year at the expense of the average room rate, giving a small ray of hope for struggling hotel owners.

Figures released in the Savills and CityOccupancy hotel index, show that after a dismal year in 2009, last year showed an occupancy growth of almost 5% with the average room rate falling by over 6%.

The strongest market was in Cork, where the revenue per available room grew by 3%, with 11 straight months of occupancy growth recorded last year.