The return of the business events sector showed in both occupancy and revenue performance.
In March, Perth hosted a major three-day energy conference, a major infrastructure projects conference and GRX26, a global resources innovation expo.
The Western Australian capital saw improved occupancy, up 3.3 per cent year-on-year, with Sydney up 1.1 per cent.
Revenue per available room (RevPAR) was also up in Perth, rising 12.1 per cent year-on-year to $222.86 against Sydney’s 6.9 per cent improvement in RevPAR to $258.53.
Melbourne’s performance in March was impacted by sport, particularly the Formula 1 Grand Prix and the first round of the AFL season, both of which were held early in the month.
Melbourne corporate networking is strong in the sports sector, but the city also saw events related to the business of sport.
Melbourne’s ADR of $265.14 was up 2.2 per cent, second only to Sydney where ADR sat at $304.36. Another AFL city, Adelaide, recorded occupancy of 79.9 per cent, slightly down on last March, however ADR was up 5.9 per cent.
Brisbane, which has produced strong hotel performance over recent months, was outperformed by other cities, however its occupancy was up 3.9 per cent on March 2025 and RevPAR was up 4.1 per cent.
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) hosted large gatherings including a Queensland Exporter Conference, a leadership summit, and other business summits and expos. In addition, hotel demand was driven by AFL, NRL and cricket fixtures.
There does not appear to be any obvious impact of the Middle East conflict on these latest performance figures from Accommodation Australia.
