Travel has become a priority for people after the pandemic, and the trend may signal a lasting change in consumer habits, said the head of Ireland’s largest hotel group, Dalata, on Tuesday.
The hotel group, which manages the Maldron and Clayton brands and operates 19 hotels in the United Kingdom, reported that its adjusted underlying profit in the first half of the year jumped by 24 percent compared to the same period last year.
They also noted that they do not see signs of a slowdown in the awakened demand for rooms.
– Of course, two, three, or four years before COVID, people in their 20s prioritized travel and experiences over buying things. That trend had already begun and seems to have now spread to the wider population – said CEO Dermot Crowley in a phone interview with Reuters.
– There is no doubt that much of this is related to post-COVID, but the longer the trend lasts, the more you lean towards the conclusion that it may be a change in people’s travel habits – added Crowley.
It seems that the situation with corporate bookings has also changed permanently, showing that travelers are traveling less frequently but for longer periods, he pointed out. Large Irish multinational companies are spending far less on business travel than before COVID.
Dalata reported that it expects its revenue per available room, an important indicator of performance in the hotel sector, to be five percent higher year-on-year in the key months of July and August, following a 23 percent jump in the first half of the year.
The Dublin-based group also states that it has €750 million available for opening new hotels. Crowley said that London is their main target, following the opening of two hotels since June.
