HOTELS in York are booming, according to the latest HotelBenchmark survey by Deloitte.
The survey, which looks at last year's figures shows the increase in revenue per available room (revPAR) in the city shot up by a "sparkling" 6.2 per cent, compared with 3.4 per cent in England as a whole.
Although occupancy rates in York slipped marginally (by 2.2 per cent), they remained "satisfactory" at 74.5 per cent.
David Brooks, general manager of the Dean Court Hotel, opposite the Minster, said today: "This is great news and not too far from the predictions of the think tank set up by 15 of York's most sizeable hotels.
"There were well catalogued hiccups after the London bombings, but these proved to be blips.
"What has been a disappointment is the falling number of American visitors, but they seem to have been replaced."
The York figures partly reflect those for the whole of Yorkshire, which narrowly outperformed the rest of England and Wales in 2005, according to the survey.
The average revPAR for Yorkshire's major cities was 3.9 per cent, compared with 3.4 per cent in England as a whole and 3.2 per cent in Wales.
Sheffield saw a slight rise in occupancy rates - from 74.7 per cent in 2004 to 75.3 per cent last year - and a 7.6 per cent jump in revPAR, while Leeds recorded a 3.5 per cent fall in occupancy to 69.4 per cent and a two per cent drop in revPAR.
But York's performance remained resilient. Martin Jenkins, a partner at Deloitte, said: "The UK as a whole suffered in the third quarter of last year as a result of terrorist attacks, which led to a dramatic slowdown in the number of visits to the country by overseas residents.
"However, York was boosted by Royal Ascot being held on Knavesmire, while Sheffield's improvement reflects the fact that it was starting from a relatively low base."
The survey also showed Aberdeen was the best-performing city, with a 17.5 per cent rise in revPAR, as a result of its position as the European oil capital, while Nottingham was the poorest performing city, recording a 5.5 per cent drop in revPAR due to growth in supply.
Updated: 11:17 Wednesday, February 15, 2006
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