(Finance) – In line with the trend of the last five years in Italy, too in 2024 there will be an increase in the average daily rate (ADR, Average Daily Rate) for hotel rooms, although at lower rates than in the past: +4% on 2023. In particular, ADR in mountain areas grows, +8.9%, reaching 175.6 euros for a double room with B&B treatment. This is followed by hotels in seaside areas (+3.1%), cities (+2.2%) and lakes (+2.0%). Also regarding the upcoming winter season, in the period between December 2024 and March 2025, the mountains are the protagonist with +12.7% average tariffwhich reached 225.7 euros, and employment already acquired at 52.1% (+4% on 2023). There is also encouraging growth in the cities, with +2.9% employment and 117.4 euro tariff, +8.7%. The podium of the destinations most chosen by mountain-loving tourists is made up of: Madonna di Campiglio, Courmayeur and Bormio.
Similar scenario also for solo Christmas period, between 22 December and 5 January, with the ADR in the mountains rising by +10.7% compared to last year and reaching 337.3 euros and employment already achieved at 65%. In the city, 27.6% of rooms are already booked, +6.7% compared to the same observation period in 2023, and the average rate reaches 125.2 euros, +7.6% compared to last year.
This is what emerges from an analysis presented by the company HotelierPro consultancy on the occasion of annual summit of professional hoteliers underway in Riccione, in the presence of around 500 entrepreneurs in the sector committed to discussing possible growth strategies for the category.
The analyzed data comes from management software installed on over 500 structures of all levels located in the mountainsphotograph a winter season oriented towards sold out and a consolidation of the trend of increasing ADR as a consequence of the growing appeal that Italy has towards high-spending users, especially international ones. In the entire peninsula, mountain areas included, In fact, the number of five-star hotels is growing: in 2019 there were 554, in 2023 668 and by the end of 2024 it is expected to reach 720. +30% in five years. However, all the other categories are decreasing, except for low-end residences, which go from 2962 units in 2019 to 3031 in 2023.
“These data give us two insights: yes consolidates the so-called “luxification” of the tourism sectorwith the increase in luxury facilities and high-end services to satisfy an increasingly important demand, especially from abroad, and the gap between the high-spending and low-spending segments is wideningthus witnessing a slow but inexorable disappearance of the intermediate band. Among the main reasons behind this phenomenon, in addition to the decline in the average purchasing power in Italy and the growth of the ADR as a consequence of energy price increases and inflation, it is worth mentioning the now systemic use of guest houses and rental of private homes” he explains Gian Marco Montanari, CEO of AlbergatorePro.
The seaside resort in 2024 they see consolidated employment substantially identical to 2023, with a slight increase in the ADR from 146.7 to 151.3 euros and an average stay in the facility of 6.2 days. In the city, employment dropped marginally by 0.6 percentage points to 72.8%, while the average rate for a double room goes from 113.1 to 115.6 euros. In urban centres, art and otherwise, the length of stay is the shortest ever: 3 days. At the lake, attendance in rooms rises by one point and reaches 74.2% of those available, while the ADR goes from 167 to 170.4 euros with an average booking duration of 5 nights. In the mountains there was 69.7% of rooms occupied compared to 67.2% last year, with an average of 5.7 days spent in the structure and ADR increasing from 161.3 to 175.6.
“Practically stagnant room occupancy and growing ADR are not necessarily good news for either hoteliers or users, at least not yet. The luxification process and the increase in tariffs, in fact, must be accompanied by a new approach to the structures, called to adapt on a large scale to the request for: greater tailor-made services, also integrated with entities external to the hotel in a sort of network that enhances the territories; clear policies to respect the environment and nature; enhancing the overall quality of the hotel experience; greater attention to the needs of those who love “slow” tourist solutions and those who need total accessibility. All essential factors if you want not only to intercept tourists, but also and above all to make them return” concludes Montanari.