By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Caribbean’s hotel sector slowed down dramatically last month after a solid first quarter, according to new data from analytics firm STR.

The region’s hotel occupancy was 69.8 percent in April, a 4.1 percent decline compared to April 2018.

That was accompanied by a 12.8 percent increase in average daily rates to $234.67, along with an 8.4 percent increase in revenue per available room to $163.79.

For the year, Caribbean hotel occupancy is down 0.1 percent to 72.1 percent, while daily rates are up 10 percent to $259.04 and RevPar is up 9.8 percent to $163.79.

STR’s data surveyed 1,951 hotels comprising a total of 252,580 rooms in the wider Caribbean region.

— CJ