- Average occupancy rates in the holiday regions of Andalusia, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands reached 86.59%, more than 10 points above the national average
- Faced with a general decline in hotel occupancy in Spain, the Chairman of BlueBay Hotels, Jamal Satli Iglesias, has highlighted the need to promote actions to make “borrowed tourists” more loyal over the coming years
BlueBay Hotels, the 12th largest hotel chain in Spain by number of rooms, recorded an average occupancy rate of 83.63% in June, July and August in the 22 hotels the group manages in Spain. This figure is almost 13 points higher than the overall rate of occupancy of 70.76% in Spain provided by the National Statistics Institute (INE) 2. The average stay for hotels in the group was 5.47 days, compared to the overall sector figure of 3.56 days, almost 2 points more.
“This year’s data is a wake-up call for the sector. The fall in hotel occupancy we predicted some months ago is beginning to materialise. For the last few years, we’ve been surviving on “borrowed tourists”, and we need to be diligent and agile in our attempts to make these visitors more loyal. Figures from our group are positive, but we’re beginning to notice falling numbers in destinations that have grown in recent years. At BlueBay Hotels, we’re working actively to secure strategic agreements with our main European market partners in a bid to better face the challenges of the coming year, such as the evolution of the British market in light of Brexit, or the increased consolidation of destinations that compete with the Mediterranean”, says Jamal Satli Iglesias, Chairman of BlueBay Hotels.
The Balearic and Canary Islands continue to be favourite destinations
During the period analysed, the BlueBay hotels in the Balearic Islands showed an occupancy rate of 90.11%; in the Canary Islands, a rate of 80.84%; and in Andalusia, of 88.84%. The average occupancy rate of the three destinations over the months of June, July, and August was 86.59%, more than 10 points above the average national rate, which confirms their status as the most popular tourist destinations in Spain. In the Balearics, BlueBay has 12 hotels located in Mallorca: Bellevue Club (***) (made up of Bellevue Leda, Minerva, Sirena, Neptuno, Apolo, Ceres, Diana and Fedra), Bellevue Lagomonte (***), Bellevue Vistanova (***), Bellevue Belsana (***) and Sky Bel Hotel by BlueBay (****). In the Canaries, the chain has 3 hotels, all in Gran Canaria: Bellevue Aquarius (***), BlueBay Lanzarote (***) and BlueBay Beach Club (****). In Andalusia, the group has one hotel – BlueBay Banús (****) in Puerto Banús (Malaga).
Main countries of origin of BlueBay Hotels guests
Coinciding with data from the INE, BlueBay Hotels received guests mainly from the UK and Germany, followed by Scandinavia, Russia, Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Mallorca and the Canary Islands continue to be the most popular destinations among foreign visitors.
“During the year we work hard on two aspects: on the one hand, we analyse clients’ preferences in order to create a great destination experience and, on the other, we make an intense effort to attract new sources of clients. This is the fundamental work carried out by our sales team. They work all year to maintain fruitful agreements with travel agencies, tour operators, and specialised websites”, explains Ramón Hernández, CEO of BlueBay Hotels.
