Hungary hotel occupancy rate rises to 72.9pc in August

Average occupancy rate at selected three-, four- and five-star hotels in Hungary was 72.9pc in August 2008, up the July rate of 68.3pc, and down from 77.8pc in August 2007, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) reported on Tuesday.

[MTI] In the first eight months of the year average occupancy rate was 58.4pc, slightly down from 58.6pc in the same period a year earlier.

August guest nights at the selected hotels dropped 4.7pc from the same month a year earlier to one million and January-August guest nights slipped 0.9pc yr/yr to 5.696m.

Gross revenue per available room (REVPAR) averaged HUF 11,960 (EUR 49.8) in August and HUF 10,151 in January-August, decreasing 17.0 pc yr/yr and 1.4pc, respectively, from the same period last year.

The gross average room rate was HUF 16,401 in August, down HUF 1,310 from the same month a year earlier. The gross average room rate was HUF 17,367 in January-July, as against HUF 17,104 in the same period last year.

The number of guest nights rose the most in West Hungary in August, including a 7.2pc rise at three-star hotels, to 40,000 and a 3.8pc rise at the two higher-category hotels, to 90,000. August guest nights fell the most, by 10.2 and 10.5 at five-star hotels and at four-star hotels in Budapest to 120,000 and 241,000, respectively.

Still, August occupancy rate was the highest at Lake Balaton at three-star hotels and in East Hungary at three-star hotels, reaching 88.2pc and 83.7pc, respectively. Elsewhere, occupancy rates varied between 60.6pc and 74.6pc.