The hotel industry in The Netherlands - Belgium and Luxembourg is showing a strong recovery.

The Dutch three, four and five star hotels achieved an average occupancy of 73.0% in 2006 with an average room rate of € 104. In Belgium and Luxembourg, the hotels report an occupancy of 71.0% and an average room rate of € 96.

The Netherlands

The Dutch hotels are moving towards a new high point. The average occupancy increased from 69.2% in 2005 to 73.0% in 2006, the highest level since 2000. The average room rate increased by 2%, from € 102 to € 104. This brings the RevPAR, the Revenue Per Available Room, to € 76; an increase of 12% compared to 2005.

For 2007, it is expected that the room occupancy in The Netherlands will increase slightly to 73.2%. The average room rate is expected to increase by 4% to € 108.

The Amsterdam & Schiphol region is showing a faster recovery than the rest of The Netherlands. The occupancy in this region increased from 77.2% to 81.3%, while the average room rate increased by 9%, from € 116 to € 126. For 2007, it is expected that the occupancy in Amsterdam will stabilize while the average room rate continues to increase.

Belgium & Luxembourg   

The hotel industry in Belgium and Luxembourg is also showing a strong recovery in 2006. The occupancy increased by over 5 percentage points to 71.0%. The average room rate increased by 5.5% to € 96. As a result, the RevPAR increased from € 59 in 2005 to € 68 in 2006; an increase of over 15%. The Belgium & Luxembourg market can therefore be said to have recovered more strongly than The Netherlands.

The outlook for 2007 is optimistic for Belgium & Luxembourg. It is expected that the occupancy will remain stable, while the average room rate will increase further, to € 100.