What does this summer hold for Spanish tourism? After months of restrictions on mobility that have left the sector mired in stagnation, hotels and holiday home rentals are preparing for an uncertain season. However, if there is something that we are beginning to realise, it is that the behaviour of travellers has changed with the pandemic.
We at Omnitec discuss 2 new trends in this article: the increasing interest in luxury hotels and in tourist apartments.
According to a study on the trends for this summer 2021 made by Atrápalo, the demand for luxury accommodation has increased by 13.4% compared to the summer of 2019 and “pre-pandemic” times.
What’s the reason for this increase in luxury hotel bookings?
As the travel portal study, indicates, this rise of 13.4% is linked to the fact that the average room price per night has fallen by 49%. In other words, you can now get more for your money! This has led to the average stay rising to 12 days.
Specifically, the average price per night has generally gone from €171 in 2019 to €87 in 2021; while the average stay has doubled: in 2019 it was 6 days and this year it may increase up to 12 days.
Luxury hotels in Spain are listed according to the star system assigned by HOTREC (Hotels, Restaurants & Cafés), the European hotel classification body. 5 stars hotels are notable for the spaciousness of their rooms: with a double room having a minimum surface area of 17 m² and a single room 10 m²; while bathrooms must have a bathtub and shower, and a surface area of 5 m².
Services such as air conditioning, telephones, hotel safes and hotel minibars
According to this study, reservations in 5-star hotels have increased by 60.5% compared to the summer of 2019.
Apartments and aparthotels: other favourites for travellers
The option of having individual accommodation and not having to share common areas with other guests has become increasingly popular during the pandemic. The data shows a 10% increase in reservations compared to the summer of 2019, when this type of accommodation was already very popular.
The rise of online housing rental platforms has been linked to the introduction of remote management systems, where guests can make use of a 100% secure electronic key via their mobile phones, without having to make an appointment with the owner or apartment manager. You can learn more about the Omnitec Rent & Pass system for opening with Bluetooth or access code.
Where will the Spanish travel to?
We finish this report with one final piece of information from this study, 95.3% of all accommodation reservations are for national destinations. According to the National Institute of Statistics, 9.8% of trips were abroad in 2019; almost 1% more than the previous year, continuing a growing trend. This summer, however, travel to international destinations will be much less.
According to the Atrápalo study, pandemic or no pandemic, coastal and island destinations will continue to be the clear favourites for Spaniards (86.5%), followed by the mountains and inland destinations (4.6%) then towns and cities (4.2%).