Holiday Inn-owner InterContinental Hotels Group blamed lower business bookings in China and Hong Kong protests for a 0.8% fall in third-quarter revenue per room on Friday, the latest company to be pinched by weaker global travel.
The hotel industry in general is feeling the impact of slowing global growth, which is denting business travel. Rival Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. warned that lagging growth in China and the China-US trade war would hurt revenue. Raffles owner AccorHotels narrowed its full-year profit guidance, citing uncertainty on China-related issues.
Four months of protests in Hong Kong have taken a toll on tourism, while weak economic data from China has been discouraging.
IHG reported a 6.1% fall in revenue per available room (RevPAR) in Greater China during the quarter, with a 36% drop in Hong Kong. (https://reut.rs/35Lf0Jl)
“While we are certainly not at the stage where business travel has been scaled back on a large scale, the cracks are certainly showing,” AJ Bell’s Investment Director Russ Mould said.
Shares in IHG, which has nearly 5,800 hotels including the Crowne Plaza and Regent Hotels & Resorts brands, fell nearly 2% in early trade on Friday.
The company has been putting more money into China, its fastest-growing market, using new loyalty programs, digital payment options and revamping rooms at Holiday Inn to woo local business travelers. Of the 13,000 rooms IHG opened across its brands in the quarter, 4,100 were in China.
But Chief Financial Officer Paul Edgecliffe-Johnson said the company was seeing more leisure than business travelers, who tend to spend less money on bookings.
Edgecliffe-Johnson said the company had also seen some pressure in the United States as US manufacturing businesses cut spending on conference halls bookings during the third quarter.
Holiday Inn-owner IHG hit by weak China, Hong Kong bookings
Holiday Inn-owner IHG hit by weak China, Hong Kong bookings
- IHG’s revenue fall comes amid a general slowdown in the global hotel industry
- Company opened 13,000 rooms in Q3
Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 10,847
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dipped on Wednesday, losing 58.51 points, or 0.54 percent, to close at 10,847.93.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR3.78 billion ($1 billion), as 73 of the listed stocks advanced, while 187 retreated.
The MSCI Tadawul Index decreased, down 7.09 points or 0.48 percent, to close at 1,472.98.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu lost 178.75 points, or 0.77 percent, to close at 22,916.83. This comes as 30 of the listed stocks advanced, while 37 retreated.
The best-performing stock was the Power and Water Utility Co. for Jubail and Yanbu, with its share price surging by 8.47 percent to SR31.24.
Other top performers included Saudi Paper Manufacturing Co., which saw its share price rise by 6.13 percent to SR53.70, and Jamjoom Pharmaceuticals Factory Co., which saw a 4.58 percent increase to SR137.
On the downside, the worst performer of the day was CHUBB Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co., whose share price fell by 5.14 percent to SR17.53.
Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. and Arabian Internet and Communications Services Co. also saw declines, with their shares dropping by 4.87 percent and 4.43 percent to SR4.88 and SR181.40, respectively.
On the announcement front, Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. announced its annual financial results for 2025, with sales dropping 3.06 percent year-on-year to SR8.45 billion. The company also recorded a net loss of SR893.86 million.
In a Tadawul statement, the company said the net loss and decline in annual sales were driven by a drop in average selling prices, despite higher sales volumes.
