LONDON – Multiple events in the U.K., including the King’s coronation and Eurovision, are driving hotel occupancy on the books in both London and Liverpool, according to STR’s Forward STAR data.
King Charles III’s coronation
London’s hotel occupancy on the books (as of 24 April) shows May highs during the coronation weekend: Friday, 5 May (67.7%) and Saturday, 6 May (66.8%). At this time last year, bookings were slightly below these levels, at 58.8% and 61.9%, respectively. The actual levels for the comparable dates reached 75.4% and 80.1%, respectively.
“As we approach the historic coronation of His Majesty The King, hotel bookings across London are surging,” said Thomas Emanuel, STR’s senior director. “While the Friday and Saturday of coronation weekend have already hit a peak for the month of May, we expect these figures to increase in the coming days as excitement grows and the eyes of the world are once again on London.”
Eurovision
As of 24 April, Liverpool’s occupancy on the books is currently at its highest point for Saturday, 13 May (at 82.0%), the day of the Eurovision Grand Final. When looking at the same time last year, the metric was at just 63.5%.
“Eurovision is an event that always attracts significant demand for hotels and this year is no different,” said Emanuel. “Last year, Turin hotels reached an occupancy of 83% on the final night, while back in 2019, host Tel Aviv’s occupancy peaked at 84%. Naturally, when Rotterdam hosted in 2021, occupancy was more muted due to COVID restrictions. Bookings are only projected to grow even more as we get closer to the event period.”
