The Hong Kong market continues to make waves for its outstanding occupancy performance year after year; owners are exuberant when hotel management fills their properties, but is it really a time to bask in glory?.

As indicated in the chart, occupancy levels for Hong Kong hotels have generally been above 75%, and for a substantial share of the market the figure is close to or above 80%. On several occasions (as is currently the case) occupancy approached and surpassed the 90% mark. That is an extraordinary performance and one that many markets in the world are longing for. But would they really?



Frequent comments by hotel guests to Hong Kong are: ‘Hong Kong hotels are too expensive' or ‘You cannot get a room'. The owner's/manager's comments are usually: ‘Average daily rates in New York are much higher' or ‘Compared to New York, hotel rooms are not very expensive'. By all means, Hong Kong is not New York. However, could hotels in Hong Kong achieve a higher average rate?

REVPAR

A high average rate isn't worth much if a hotel is empty. Conversely, high occupancy and a low average rate (heads in beds) rarely maximises an asset's potential. Therefore, an important KPI is RevPAR, or Revenue Per Available Room. RevPAR is the product of occupancy and average rate, expressed as a monetary amount.

RevPAR multiplied by the number of rooms available provides rooms revenue – the top line revenue in the most profitable department of a hotel. While occupancy and average rate both tell a story about a hotel's performance, the benchmark indicator of that performance is RevPAR. In almost every situation, it should be an owner's (and likely a manager's as well) number one interest to maximise RevPAR.

While RevPAR indicates the performance of a hotel market, managing for RevPAR involves fundamental and yet complex economics. Price elasticity of demand âˆ' or ‘the responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a good or service to a change in its price'âˆ' is a measure of desirability. The reality of the hotel business is that too high a price will likely displace demand.

The same applies to the wider market. As a result, managers need to tinker with their pricing policies and tactics to ensure that demand is not displaced, but captured at the highest attainable room rate. This might sound easier than it is. The relatively young role of revenue management, adopted from the airline industry, aims directly at optimising the intricate relationship between occupancy and average rate.

Little research has been conducted on the price elasticity of demand in travel and hotels. However, studies from the airline industry give some interesting insights. The main finding is that the longer the flight distance, the greater the price tolerance (or slower responsiveness to price increase). Furthermore, leisure travel is more responsive to a price change than business demand. Similarly, economy-class travel is more responsive than business-class travel, which, in turn, is more responsive than first-class travel. This seems quite obvious and a similar dynamic applies to hotels.

Hotel and revenue managers apply what is called ‘dynamic pricing' to alter the price point of a room with regard to the demand (booking pace) for a certain future date. The challenging part is that there are different rates available across different segments/accounts/channels and that previous- year performance is a poor indicator of demand in the current year. On top of these, there are factors such as competitor pricing, group bookings/room blocks, seasonality, special events and macro market/economic sentiment to consider. In the end it is a thin line that managers must follow in real time, never fully knowing which side they should be.

At the same time, a hotel operation brings unique challenges. The wear and tear created by the use of facilities will require maintenance and renovation works – that is, capital expenditures. Over years of operation and assessment, it has become evident that a hotel at full occupancy has an exponentially increased wear and tear. As a result, running a quality, upmarket property at a high occupancy level reduces the product's lifetime. Another factor that plays a role is the ‘fixed versus variable cost' structure. Certain costs arise independent of the level of occupancy at a hotel (for example, a general manager's salary), while others, such as the cost of guest bathroom amenities, correlate directly with the number of occupied rooms.

Ultimately, the driver of hotel real estate value is average rate. A property does not need 100% occupancy in order to generate maximum revenues. Quite the contrary, a fixation on having a ‘full house' is detrimental to the performance, physical condition, product lifetime and market orientation of the property. A possible, simple reason for the full-house mentality's popularity is that occupancy is finite, whereas average rate is limitless.

It is much easier to apply a measure of occupancy without comparisons with the competition. Average rate and more so RevPAR are (only) meaningful when compared with the market or a competitive set and further serve as performance benchmarks.

OPTIMUM OCCUPANCY

We will examine the trade-off between occupancy and average rate and their impact on cashflow and ultimately value. Identifying the optimum point of occupancy for a hotel is challenging. Several layers of consideration, internal to the operation and external, come into play.

One of the main reasons why RevPAR is more meaningful than occupancy lies in the cost structure of the hotel business. Fixed and variable expenses are the two principal categories of financial liabilities in a hotel operation. Revenues in a high occupancy scenario can help to cover a share of fixed expenses.

However, high occupancy will also increase variable expenses. Revenues in a high average rate scenario might not be sufficient to cover fixed expenses, given the low occupancy. It is in a high RevPAR scenario where an optimum balance between fixed and variable expenses is created.

The cost structure varies from market to market (and hotel to hotel) and thus the optimum occupancy level can vary; however, it will never be at or near 100%.

Furthermore, a hotel is subject to wear and tear through usage by guests. A hotel needs minimum usage in order to prevent systems from sitting idle and decaying. At the same time, a hotel can face significantly enhanced wear and tear when operating at very high occupancy levels (say above 85%). Constantly booked and occupied rooms in a high occupancy scenario prevent necessary preventive and corrective maintenance (such as minor air conditioning repair and carpet shampooing).

The result is a reduced lifespan for the inventory and increased capital expenditures (CAPEX). Preserving product quality thus adds another layer to the consideration of optimum occupancy when maximising RevPAR.

A third layer in fixing the optimum occupancy is in-house capture of food and beverage and spa demand. If a hotel's restaurants (and spa or other profit centres) capture a significant share of in-house guests, the additional revenue stream (although at lower profitability) can warrant a higher occupancy level.

As a fourth layer, the market orientation of a property (whether budget, mid-scale, upscale or luxury) can further influence the optimum occupancy level. A luxury property is unlikely to be able to fulfil its service promise to all guests and at the same time maintain an impeccable appearance over many years if it is constantly full. A budget hotel's more value-oriented consumers might have more modest demands on the hotel product and service, allowing for an operation at a higher occupancy level.

Finally, the price elasticity of demand based on the types and mix of travellers in a given market has further implications for pricing policies specific to each tier of the market. The higher elasticity coefficient for budget leisure travel gives hotel management at that tier less room to practice aggressive pricing policies. Corporate long-haul travel, on the other hand, has a lower elasticity coefficient and is more likely to absorb average rate increases. A property's competitiveness in the market plays directly into consumers' willingness to pay higher rates, allowing operations at a lower occupancy level.

Naturally, the optimum occupancy level can change over time. The following table outlines the layers of consideration for the optimum occupancy level and their implications (higher or lower occupancy).

The following abbreviated Profit and Loss statement is for a Hong Kong hotel and provides insights into the optimum occupancy level (the data has been simplified for illustration purposes; net operating income (NOI) data is only shown as a percentage).

In the four scenarios, the hotel registered varying levels of occupancy and average rate. Notably in scenarios II and III, the difference in RevPAR attained was minimal. The key lies in the indices at the bottom. Scenario IV achieved both the highest RevPAR and NOI index at the second lowest occupancy level among the five scenarios.

More significantly, at a slightly higher RevPAR of $50 yet a 400 basis points lower occupancy level, scenario III attained a 580bps premium in the NOI index over scenario II, showing how average rate can flow directly to the bottom line.

Conversely, occupancy levels in scenario V are apparently too low as the average rate premium has not been carried to the bottom line (compared with Scenario II). Based on these observations, we make the assumption that this property's optimum occupancy is at 81%. Notably, all parameters being the same, respective valuations would show similar variations as the absolute NOI index.

ANY UPSIDE FOR HONG KONG?

The high occupancy levels in Hong Kong beget the question: are hoteliers leaving money on the table by focusing too much on occupancy? Naturally this question is difficult to answer, given the fluid environment of operations and fragmented nature of the market. In the following section, we will highlight market conditions based on data published by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

As mentioned previously, the Hong Kong hotel market enjoys very high occupancy levels. The historical data is analysed for the overall market and three tariff groups: High Tariff A, High Tariff B and Medium Tariff.

Based on the average occupancy levels between 1999 and 2011, a percentile level was selected that reflects the optimum occupancy for each category. Based on the example above, the 50th percentile was selected for High Tariff A and so forth for each category. The years in which occupancy levels were above the selected optimum level were adjusted down to the optimum occupancy and average rate adjusted upward to maintain the RevPAR attained. Arguably, elasticity of demand will result in some attrition, particularly in the value-oriented categories.

However, for simplicity purposes and given the lack of related research, we did not consider displaced demand. The findings provide a modest average rate upside potential ranging from 1.7% to 2.4% over a 12-year period. Given the nature of market cycles, the effect is more pronounced in 2012 – at the top of the cycle. Here, the potential average rate upside ranges from 5.3% to 7.5%.

A similar image emerges on the supply side. The average supply shortage over a 12-year period is at a mere 853 rooms for the overall market. However, given the strong occupancy performance in 2011, the need for more hotel rooms is more evident. Registering an occupancy level of 92.8% in 2011, the Medium Tariff category could absorb an additional 10,086 rooms to arrive at its theoretic optimum occupancy of 85.8% in that year. For the other two categories, the theoretically displaced room nights would be 5.6% to 6.6%, to be absorbed by additional supply in 2011.

This theoretical exercise naturally comes with shortfalls. Medium Tariff hotels are dependent on the pricing policies of High Tariff B properties, which in turn depend on High Tariff A hotels. If demand at High Tariff A hotels is relatively soft, the premium to High Tariff B is not as large. The current profile of visitors to Hong Kong has a large share of value-oriented travellers in the Medium Tariff category, largely tour operators. This relatively deep market is highly rate-sensitive and individual hotels will be hard-pressed to drive average rate increases. 

Here lies the biggest challenge: the fragmented nature of ownership and different levels of sophistication in management prevent the market from moving in unison towards commanding the theoretical premium calculated above. Nevertheless, more active revenue management, discipline (in terms of too readily discounting rates) and a change of focus towards RevPAR can help to achieve even better results for Hong Kong hotels.

Will travellers be pleased? Unlikely. Displacing demand out of the market due to high room rates is a risk, and further research would be required to determine demand elasticity for various tiers and segments of the market. Budgets are mostly approved and signs of a softening market are on the wall; there's likely to be little change in 2013 when management scrambles to reach the high occupancy targets in their budgets.

ACROSS THE BORDER

As readers may know from our quarterly ‘Greater China Update', China faces a very different challenge: oversupply. Hotel development intended to stimulate demand for other sectors of the economy has resulted in a frenzy of hotels being built and opened over the last five years. Owners face a ‘double downside' in this scenario: low occupancy and limited flow-through to the bottom line. As a result, many hotels operate at a loss.

Very low occupancy levels (50-60%) do not allow management to increase average rates, as properties need to attain their minimum occupancy levels. Given hotels' occupancy ‘challenge', corporate accounts are in a stronger negotiating position, given the abundant choice and price competition. High-profile corporate accounts are among the highest-paying guests in hotels, but not so in China, where room rates can be heavily discounted to build occupancy.

The competitive nature of the market thus favours a ‘high occupancy' approach whenever possible, as demand is price-sensitive/has alternate choice. Wear and tear is higher and the flow-through to the bottom line is minimal. Until local governments realise that a healthy hotel market makes for a more attractive and sustainable hotel investment, the oversupply situation – owing to the ‘build it and they will come' mindset âˆ' is likely to prevail.

AROUND THE REGION

An interesting trend among hotels in Taiwan, Korea and Bangkok is often the market's inability to break a certain rate ceiling. Often, corporate accounts have become used to a certain price level, due to the very favourable room rate discounts and structures offered in either very competitive or small-scale markets.

In both Taiwan and Korea, average rate growth trailed inflation for many years, gradually eroding net income levels. A new hotel can offer a new perspective, infusing a newer product at a higher quality – a ‘champion' to lift the long-established room rate ceiling. Existing hotels can then follow suit and increase their pricing levels, as long as their product and service quality are up to par.

Not every market is attractive enough to make it a good investment; development (particularly land) costs are often very high. Should a new ‘champion' open in a market, it will usually take a several years to stabilise the room rate ceiling with additional hotels before that market can absorb new ‘champions'.
 
ABOUT HVS
HVS is the world's leading consulting and services organization focused on the hotel, restaurant, shared ownership, gaming, and leisure industries. Established in 1980 by President and CEO Steve Rushmore, MAI, FRICS, CHA, the company offers a comprehensive scope of services and specialized industry expertise to help you enhance the economic returns and value of your hospitality assets.

Over the past three decades, HVS has expanded both its range of services and its geographical boundaries. The company's global reach, through a network of 30 offices staffed by 400 seasoned industry professionals, gives you access to an unparalleled range of complementary services for the hospitality industry. The company performs more than 2,000 assignments per year for virtually every major industry participant. HVS principals are regarded as the leading professionals in their respective regions of the globe.

The Hong Kong team has worked on a wide range of projects that include economic studies, hotel valuations, operator search and management contract negotiation, development strategies for new brands, asset management, research reports and investment advisory for hotels, resorts, serviced residences and branded residential development projects. HVS Hong Kong's clients include New World Development, The Wharf, Sun Hung Kai, Samsung, SK, Lotte, Taj Hotels and Resorts, Agile Property Holdings, Citibank, LaSalle Investment Management, amongst others.

About the Author
Daniel J. Voellm is Managing Director of HVS Hong Kong, has provided advice in major markets across Asia-Pacific. Prior to heading the Hong Kong office, Dan was Vice President at HVS' global headquarters in New York conducting a wide range of appraisals, market studies and underwriting due diligence services. Dan brings a strong understanding of the hospitality industry to HVS. His experience in hotel and food and beverage operations in Germany, Switzerland, England and the United States is complemented by an Honours Bachelor of Science Degree from Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne in Switzerland. Dan works closely with key institutional and private owners of hotel properties, financiers, developers and investors. Dan further advises on property and concept development and strategy.

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