Following rather gloomy results in January and February, March marked a turnaround for the French hotel market, according to a new report from In Extenso.
Although occupancy for the month was down slightly — 1% — for luxury hotels, RevPAR rose 5.9% to €203 (US$). Upscale hotels posted a 2.2% jump in occupancy and a 5.4% RevPAR increase, to €105 (US$).
In Paris, occupancy rates stagnated in most categories, but higher average rates promoted growth in rooms revenue. Several large towns reported particularly strong results, including Marseille, which hosted the 6th World Water Forum March 12-17, as well as Bordeaux, Dijon, Le Havre and Rennes, all of which posted strong RevPAR growth.
The news was not stellar everywhere, however. Grenoble, Nantes, Reims and Rouen were all among cities posting performances lower than elsewhere.