Canada’s monthly hotel occupancy came in higher than the 2019 comparable for the first time in the pandemic era, according to STR’s July 2022 data. July 2022 results showed the following (with percentage changes from July 2019):

• Occupancy, 75.5% (up 0.3%);

• Average daily rate (ADR), $166.12 (up 16.1%);

• Revenue per available room (RevPAR), $125.36 (up 16.4%).

In addition to the improvement in occupancy, monthly ADR topped 200 Canadian dollars ($154.72) for the first time on record, and RevPAR was at an all-time high. When adjusted for inflation, ADR was also up from 2019 for the first time.

Laura Baxter, director of hospitality analytics for Canada for CoStar Group (parent company of STR), said the country’s hotel industry reached a number of recovery milestones in July, and trends remained consistent from the month prior, with transient leisure demand serving as the primary driver of performance. Anecdotally, she said, hoteliers are reporting a rebound in corporate travel but not quite to 2019 levels. Group demand continued its upward path, reaching 90% of July 2019 levels, again a pandemic-era high. More pent-up group demand is expected in the fall, along with further improvements to the recovery index. Among the major markets, Vancouver saw the highest occupancy (84.7%), which was a 4.2% decrease from 2019. Baxter also said the recovery of international travel demand is well on its way, with Statistics Canada reporting that inbound international air travel to Canada neared pre-pandemic levels in June and July. Overall, she said, the outlook for the rest of the year is positive, with the recovery of lagging segments inching closer to 2019 levels.

Photo: View of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada/by mffoto/Shutterstock