The occupancy of hotels in Kyiv in January-June 2019 decreased by one percentage point (p.p.) compared to the same period a year earlier and amounted to 48%, the press service of Jones Lang LaSalle consulting company in Ukraine (JLL) has reported. “The first half of this year was marked for the hotel market of the Ukrainian capital by a fall in average operating indicators both in U.S. dollars and hryvnias. Against the backdrop of the very successful first half of 2018, when the Champions League final was held in Kyiv and both occupancy and average tariffs rose, the results this year leave much to be desired. In particular, for the first time since 2014, there was a drop in occupancy between January and June,” Tetiana Veller, the head of the hotel business department at JLL, said.
According to JLL, the average rate for staying in hotels of the upper segment in January-June 2019 decreased by 15% compared to the first half of last year, to $153, the figure in the middle segment decreased by 11%, to $69 per room. At the same time, the occupancy of expensive hotels fell to 43%, while mid-range hotels raised occupancy by 1.5 percentage points, to 53%.
JLL experts explain the decline in the figures with the martial law introduced at the end of 2018, the holding of presidential elections in the country, as well as a significant increase in last year’s performance in connection with the Champions League final in Kyiv.
“Compared to a more “standard” year 2017, market indicators still rose,” the report said.
According to JLL forecasts, in the second half of the year it’s worth expecting an equalization of indicators in connection with completion of the transfer of power, as well as determining the course of the new government.
