(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Hotels in Doha city experienced an 11.4 percentage point growth in occupancy to 75.9 percent in the first six months of 2014, pushing revenue per available room rates (RevPAR) up by 11.5 percent to $166.66 despite average room rates (ARR) declining 5.3 percent.
Food & Beverages (F&B) activities generated 45.8 percent of hotel revenues, which is a high contribution relative to other regional markets, latest HotStats survey of hotels in five Mena cities noted. The F&B operations benefitted from double-digit growth in revenues coupled with lower departmental expenses and payroll costs, leading Doha's TRevPAR to grow by 12 percent during the first half.
Elevated by the top-line performance, efficient operating cost control coupled with a 1.5 percentage point reduction in payroll expenses, boosted gross operating profit per available room (GOPPAR) by 19.1 percent to $166.74.
"Doha hotels are yet to show signs of stabilisation in average room rates during the first half of the year, although occupancy levels continue to grow on the back of increased demand from international and regional visitors, particularly, Saudi nationals," said Peter Goddard, Managing Director of TRI Hospitality Consulting.
Abu Dhabi hotel profits rose 11.8 percent. Increasing demand raised occupancy levels by 4.9 percentage points to 78.2 percent, drove RevPAR up by 6.8 percent, while ARR remained stable in the first half. In the month of June, ARR and occupancy increased by 4.8 percentage points and 3.7 percent respectively.
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