Although most activities in the country reopened at the end of August, hotel occupancy levels are still low and business people fear they will be forced to cut more jobs or close operations.
Hoteliers believe that the government's recommendation to return the full amount to guests who had rooms reserved, who for the moment will not be able to enjoy the service because of the health crisis, is unworkable.
A report by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC) details that consumers have the right to a refund or rescheduling without penalty, as opposed to cancellation of reservations at the national or international level.
The Guatemalan association of small hotels has announced that they have started operating a web application that allows tourists to make reservations online and for hoteliers to publish their promotions.
María Renée Cárcamo, President of APEHGUA pointed out that "With this measure, the first step is being taken to make an active association and at the same time the aim is to encourage small hotels to optimize processes and services of the association towards hotels".
In Panama 30 hotels are now working with an application that allows travelers to book and rent rooms for a number of hours and not for a full day.
In an attempt to raise their occupancy rate, which at the national level has not managed to exceed 45% in recent years, some hotels in Panama have started trying out alternatives.For example, an application made by the Spanish company ByHours, allows travelers to rent a room for 3, 6 or 12 hours, during any period of the day.
In Costa Rica the total amount of accommodation available for rent through the web platform Airbnb is now equivalent to 18% of the hotels in the country.
The figure has been confirmed by the union of hoteliers, who say there is now a total of 11,000 homes offering accommodation for tourism through Airbnb.On top of this data there are also residences rented to tourists through other platforms such as Homeaway or VRBO.
While occupancy rates and average prices continue to fall, the Panamanian hotel market is preparing to increase its supply by another 1,200 rooms at the end of the year.
The Panamanian Association of Hotels (Apatel) reports that in recent years there has been a 209% increase in the number of rooms available in the country, in contrast to demand which has only grown by 5% annually.
In Panama the increase in room supply has caused a price war between hotels trying to attract travelers and increase the occupancy rate which on average is not more than 60%.
Hotel occupancy in the country has been declining since 2011, when it stood at 68.6% dropping to 59.3% within the sector this year, according to figures from the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP).
The current occupancy rate of 57% can be explained by the increased supply of rooms and the relative decline of San Jose as a business destination.
The increased supply of hotel rooms in the capital is one of the reasons for the low level of occupancy, which as of January stood at 57%. This occurs mainly in hotels that attract business travelers or tourists who spend up to two nights prior to departure.
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Beach hotels recorded the highest occupancy of 74.1%, local mountain hotels had 70.24% and those in the city had an occupancy of 69.23%.
Although the expectation of 78% occupancy projected by the National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR) was not reached, it was the highest average level in the last four years.
From a press release by the National Chamber of Tourism Canatur:
There are currently 812 hotels registered offering a total of 18,500 beds in 11,200 rooms, which in 2012 had an occupancy rate of 66%.
A total of 432 new hotels were built between 2006 and 2012, representing an increase of 113.6%. At the end of 2012, the country had 11,189 rooms.
Data provided by the Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN) reveals that last year (2012) occupancy rates in the country were 66% ."Before we did not know much about the hotel industry, with all this support we can see that the hotels that are emerging are characterized by customer services, the attention, the measurements of the rooms, meals, in short, I think it has improved a lot," said Sandra Mejia , president of the Association of Small Hotels of Nicaragua (Hopen).
During the first four months of 2013 the convention and congress sector revived the hotel sector which recorded an average occupancy of 61%.
Prensa.com reports that "in total, between January and April 831,593 visitors were reported, which is an increase of 4.4% with 34,893 additional travelers compared to the same period last year."It is estimated that during this period about $847.7 million entered the Panamanian economy.
Central America is in the lead with a 34% average price growth of hotel reservations recorded in the region, while in North America it was 18% and in South America 14%.
From the Transhotel-HOSTELTUR Barometer published by Hosteltur:
The average price of hotel reservations in America during the first quarter of this year was $680, representing an increase of 20% according to the first edition of "Transhotel-HOSTELTUR".
On 18th and 19th of April Latin American small hoteliers in Costa Rica will meet to discuss issues such as competitiveness, promotion and marketing, and accommodation in small centers.
"Owners of small hotels in the Latin American region with a minimum of five rooms and a maximum of 50 will gather together on 18th and 19th of April at the Hotel Radisson Zurquí in Barrio Tournon," reported Elfinancierocr.com.
An oversupply of rooms, the competition of "vacation rentals", Liberia airport, and the lack of an international convention center, are factors affecting the profitability of hotels in the capital.
Elfinancierocr.com reports that "The average rate for a standard double room in the small three star hotel in the capital, Rincon de San Jose, dropped from $52.5 in 2011 to $49 in 2013.