The Costa del Sol is the most expensive hotel destination in Spain, as a report by consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield Hospitality concludes. According to the same report, the average price of a hotel room in Spain as a whole, in the first nine months of this year, was 170 euros, with Malaga leading in terms of occupancy and Marbella having the highest prices. To compare, the average for a hotel room in Marbella was 388 euros in that period.
The increase in the average price in Spanish hotels per night has grown by 5.5% compared to the same period last year, when it stood at 161 euros. According to the report, the increase has mostly been driven by destinations such as Marbella, with a growth of 11.9%; Zaragoza, 9.7% and the Balearic Islands, 9.1%. "These are notable increases, seeing as we must frame them in sustained growth accompanied by higher occupancy which, since 2023, is at record highs," the report says.
It also highlights that the most expensive destinations after Marbella were the Balearic Islands, with 234.7 euros, and Barcelona, with 193.5 euros. The destinations with the lowest average price were Zaragoza (79.4 euros), Cordoba (106.4) and Benidorm (110). Malaga, with an average price of 162 euros, was fifth, after Marbella, the Balearic Islands, Barcelona and Madrid. Co-managing director of Cushman & Wakefield Hospitality in Spain Albert Grau predicts that "we can expect a moderation in price increases in the coming quarters, but if there are no major developments in the global context, Spanish hotels are prepared to continue improving their profitability".
Malaga is the leading destination in terms of hotel occupancy in Spain, with an average of 83% in the first nine months of the year, a decrease of 2.5% compared to the same period last year. Grau's partner, Bruno Hallé, says that demand is maintained and, therefore, "continues boosting occupancy at or close to record highs". "De-seasonalisation is a very important factor in understanding this growth, as we are seeing destinations with excellent occupancy throughout the year, which was not so common just a few years ago in cities like Malaga or Alicante, which were more sensitive to holiday demand," Hallé states.
The report shows an upward trend that allows hotel indicators to reach record highs again and demonstrates that, although occupancy no longer has much room for growth, prices can still continue rising due to the strength of demand. The only exception to this positive growth throughout the year is in Barcelona, where all three indicators have dropped below 1%. According to Elvira Arjona, "Spain maintains a solid growth in the average daily rate, well above that recorded in Europe (1.2%) and in the south of the continent, 3.9%".
In the analysis of hotel profitability (RevPar), Spain is also one of the leading destinations, with an increase of 6.3%, also exceeding European growth (1.9%) and that of southern Europe (4.2%). The Balearic Islands and Marbella are consolidating their position as benchmarks in profitability within Spain, maintaining a growth in occupancy, which allows them to achieve double-digit increases in RevPar, with 11.5% and 13.5% respectively.
The report has used data from almost 1,600 hotels and more than 220,000 rooms in the Iberian Peninsula.
Pilar Martínez
