While Easter weekend fell at the end of March in 2024, this year it fell in April. The spring vacations fell in the same timeframe, which helped to keep leisure destinations busy.
Stabilization of occupancy and average daily rate trends in low-cost and budget segments. Overall, European hoteliers saw their RevPAR increase by 2.5% to close in on €90 (€89.3). In terms of occupancy rate, the budget segment showed the strongest growth compared to April 2024 (+2 points). The economy segment remained virtually stable, with +0.3 points.
With average daily rates up 1% across all segments, hoteliers are fine-tuning their sales prices to adapt to the ever-increasing sensitivity of both corporate and leisure customers. A trend that could even be described as negative in some markets, given that inflation in April 2025 is 2.4% according to Eurostat.
European hotel trends: April 2025 – RevPAR par Hospitality ON— Source: HSMAI Europe
A podium that reflects market dynamics that remain out of the ordinary
The top three RevPAR performers are destinations that are less talked-about in Europe: +18.1% RevPAR in Austria, with the second highest occupancy rate (+4 points) and the highest average daily rate (+11.9%). During this month of school vacations, the destination attracted a large number of visitors, capitalizing on its winter sports offering and the attractiveness of centers like Vienna, which attracted German customers in particular.
Silver medal for Hungary, whose performance has been noteworthy since the beginning of the year. The destination continues to attract customers who can no longer afford to access markets with average daily rate above €100. An increase in occupancy of 2.9 points, combined with a 7.9% rise in average daily rates, enabled Hungarian hoteliers to post a 12.3% increase in RevPAR.
Last place on the podium went to the Czech Republic, which hosted the Ice Hockey World Championships between April 9 and 20. The 10 teams and their fans fueled occupancy, enabling occupancy rate to rise by 4.3 points (best increase of the panel) and pushing prices up by a modest 3.1% for a RevPAR up 9.2%.
How did the major markets perform?
Between Germany, Spain, France and the UK, France performed best. Just behind Portugal, it posted a 6.5% increase in RevPAR to €78.8. + This represents a 3-point increase in occupancy rate and stable or even slightly higher average daily rates, compared with the 0.9% inflation rate declared by Eurostat in April 2025 (+1.9%).
In Spain, occupancy rate is stable (0.2 points) but prices are still rising (+4.6%), pushing RevPAR to €114.1 (+4.8%). The sol y playa formula, combined with city-breaks that remain attractive, is proving popular.
In the United Kingdom, visitor numbers remained stable (-0.4 points), while prices were stable (0.2%), not keeping pace with the acceleration in inflation reported by the Office for National Statistics (3.5%). As a result, RevPAR was stable at -0.3%. No major events of note to support business, with the exception of the London Marathon held on April 27, which attracted some 57,000 runners. But there was no noticeable drop in sight either, as the country introduced its famous ETA this month.
Occupancy rate down 2.2 points and ADR stagnating at 1.8% for Germany, with RevPAR down 1.5% and approaching the €70 mark in sales per room sold.
Despite Milan Design Week and the events surrounding the death of the Pope at the end of the month, Italy saw stable visitor numbers (0.7 points) in April, with average daily rates down slightly (-0.9%) for a RevPAR slightly up by 1.8%.
5 countries in the RevPAR club at half-mast
The UK and Germany are the least affected. In Greece, despite a drop in occupancy (-7.6 points), hoteliers continue to push up average daily rates by 8.1%, maintaining the 3rd highest RevPAR of the panel behind the Netherlands and Italy.
In Switzerland and Belgium, the strategy is different, with ADR declines of -1.8% and -5.1% respectively. In April, Swiss hoteliers saw their occupancy stabilize at -0.7 points, while it rose very slightly in Belgium (+1 point).
Europe remains a heterogeneous market, with a €103.1 delta between the highest RevPAR in the Netherlands (€147.6) and the lowest in Latvia (€44.5). This gap reflects the diversity of the offer, with parks of varying levels of quality. There are still destinations where the budget offer predominates. In terms of visitor numbers, results on the Old Continent were more uniform, reflecting the attractiveness of this territory, ranging from 67.9% in Germany to 83.8% in the Netherlands. However, these figures need to be qualified in view of the size of these two markets, the German market being more substantial.
Article by MKG
About HSMAI Europe
HSMAI – Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International – is a global organisation founded in the US in 1927. HSMAI Region Europe is the European arm of the organisation. HSMAI Europe aims to be a key influencer, pioneer and the go-to industry resource for professional development, commercial strategies and sustainability in the hospitality, travel and tourism industry. With a strong focus on education, HSMAI has become the industry champion in identifying and communicating trends in the hospitality industry while operating as a leading voice for both hospitality and sales, marketing, and revenue management disciplines.
HSMAI Europe
HSMAI Europe
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