On January 22, Huazhu Group Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: HTHT; 01179. HK) disclosed preliminary hotel operating results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2023.
According to the announcement, in terms of business from Huazhu China (a hotel under Huazhu Group located in the China region), supported by the continuous recovery of leisure and business travel demand, Huazhu China's RevPAR (average rental room revenue) in the fourth quarter of 2023 recovered to 120% of its 2019 level. If calculated on a monthly basis, the RevPAR of Huazhu China in October, November, and December 2023 has recovered to 120%, 117%, and 123% of the 2019 level, respectively.
Throughout 2023, Huazhu China's RevPAR reached 122% of the 2019 level. Although the growth of RevPAR in 2023 was mainly driven by ADR (Average Daily Rate), occupancy rates continued to rise.
According to data disclosed by Huazhu Group, the comprehensive ADR of hotels under Huazhu China in the fourth quarter of 2023 was 284 yuan, a year-on-year increase of 18.3% and a year-on-year increase of 22.5% compared to the same period in 2019; The occupancy rate reached 80.5%, a decrease of 1.7 percentage points from the same period in 2019 and a year-on-year increase of 14.3 percentage points; RevPAR was 229 yuan, a year-on-year increase of 43.8% and a 20% increase compared to the same period in 2019.
In 2023, the comprehensive ADR of hotels under Huazhu China was 299 yuan, a year-on-year increase of 26.6% and a growth of 34.5% compared to 2019; The occupancy rate was 81.1%, a year-on-year increase of 14.4 percentage points, a decrease of 3.3 percentage points from 2019; RevPAR was 242 yuan, a year-on-year increase of 53.9%, and an increase of 22.4% compared to 2019.
It is worth mentioning that data obtained by Pengpai News from Huazhu Group shows that since the beginning of winter, with the continuous heating of tourism in Harbin, the occupancy rate of hotels under Huazhu Group located in Harbin has almost reached its peak overnight: in December 2023, the occupancy rate reached 97.5%, a month on month increase of 1.5%, and a year-on-year increase of 34%. According to the person in charge of Huazhu Hotel in Harbin, there is still one month left until the Chinese New Year holiday in 2024. The hotel booking volume in Huazhu Harbin has gradually increased, and on Valentine's Day on February 14th, the hotel booking volume in Harbin has risen to 70%, with a continuous upward trend.
As for DH Hotels (Steigenberger Hotels GmbH and its subsidiaries) under Huazhu Group, RevPAR recovered to 111% of 2019 levels in the fourth quarter of 2023, slightly higher than 2022 levels, mainly due to higher daily room rates during the FIFA World Cup in the fourth quarter of 2022 and the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference.
According to data disclosed by Huazhu Group, the ADR of DH hotels in the fourth quarter of 2023 was 115 euros, a year-on-year decrease of 5.9%; The occupancy rate was 63.8%, a year-on-year increase of 4.5 percentage points; RevPAR was 73 euros, a year-on-year increase of 1.3%. In 2023, the ADR of DH hotels was 113 euros, a year-on-year increase of 1.4%; The occupancy rate was 63.4%, a year-on-year increase of 7.2 percentage points; RevPAR was 71 euros, a year-on-year increase of 14.5%.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, Huazhu Group opened 460 new hotels and closed 225 hotels, resulting in a net increase of 852 hotels throughout the year.