UAE: GHA posts 60% surge in 2022 revenue at $1.4bln

UAE: GHA posts 60% surge in 2022 revenue at $1.4bln

UAE-headquartered Global Hotel Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of 40 independent hotels brands, has reported revenues of $1.4 billion during 2022, marking a 60% increase over the previous year.

Room revenue generated by the 23 million global members of the GHA Discovery loyalty programme exceeded 2019 levels from mid-November onwards, driven by higher average daily rates (ADR), and soaring by 50% in the last two weeks of the year, while repeat stay room revenue was consistently ahead of 2019 levels from June onwards, up almost 80% by the end of 2022. Room nights, which had lagged behind earlier in the year, surpassed pre-pandemic levels by the end of Q4.

In contrast to 2021 when domestic stays dominated the travel mix due to pandemic-related restrictions and concerns, international stays by GHA Discovery members picked up significantly in 2022, accelerating in Q4 to surpass 2019 levels by 40% in the December holiday period, with Singapore, the Maldives, Thailand, Mexico and the Caribbean leading this recovery. Domestic stays exceeded 2019 figures throughout most of 2022.

With the percentage of revenue attributed to international stays stabilising at 70%, the same as in 2019, demand patterns are returning to the ‘old normal’, though leisure travel now dominates.

The UAE