The national hotel market, according to the last occupation survey carried out by INDEC, showed at the end of 2022 an increase in the number of establishments. The record revealed that in Argentina there were some 2558 hotelsthat is to say, 273 more ventures than those registered at the end of the third quarter of 2022. According to the work, 425 of these hotels belong to the superior categories, that is, four and five stars. “26.6% of them are complexes that are part of national and international hotel chains,” explains Fernando Novoa Uriarte, Partner & Director of Newmark Argentina.
According to a sector report carried out by the firm Newmark Argentina, If analyzed by region, the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires has the largest inventory of four and five star hotels. “Without a doubt, CABA is one of the protagonists of the sector, since it has 100 complexes of this type. The other side is observed in the city of Córdoba, where there are only 18 commercial enterprises of this category”, says Novoa Uriarte. And he adds:The inventory of this type of hotels presented an increase of 3.2% with respect to the previous quarter. During the last chapter of 2022, Patagonia was the corner of the country that moved the board the most, since three starts were made there.”
As far as occupation is concerned, CABA was the vedette. In the fourth and final stretch of 2022, Buenos Aires hotels registered the highest occupancy rate, with 61.9%, thus dethroning Patagonia, which had been the queen of the previous quarter. The ranking of hotel groups in Argentina that offer four and five star proposals is headed by Wyndham (with 39 complexes), followed by Amérian (19) and NH Hotel Group (16), second and third, respectively.
In terms of average prices per room within high-end hotels, Patagonia topped that list with US$175.9. The second and third places were occupied by CABA (with average values of US$130.7) and Buenos Aires (US$111.9). “Without a doubt, luxury is one of the protagonists of the current hotel market, but it should be noted that this concept has changed -and largely due to the pandemic-. Before it was linked to luxury, with the glamorous or the ostentatious; today it is related to minimalism, exclusive experiences and personalized attention. I would venture to say that: it is linked to well-being. Currently, passengers seek to enjoy the present in a more holistic way”, says Lisandro León Liguori, CEO of Aken Hotels & Resorts (a company that has five hotels in Argentina -two in Córdoba, one in Cuyo, one in Patagonia and, the rest, in CABA).
Finally, Liguori affirms that despite the paradigm shifts, there are things that have not changed for the highest segment of the hotel world. “Tourists who are used to luxury continue to demand: excellent service standards -which are what allow us to offer high-level experiences- and high-quality products on offer -from interior design to amenities-. Today, everything has to be unique”, maintains the specialist.
