Southern Quintana Roo Hotels Confirm Drop in Booking Demand

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Hotel occupancy across southern Quintana Roo has dropped sharply, and industry leaders warn that September and October will be difficult months as tourism and booking demand decline in Chetumal, Bacalar and Mahahual.

Raúl Andrade Angulo, president of the Association of Hotels of the Center and South of Quintana Roo, said the situation is most severe in the state capital, where occupancy indicators are running below 30%. The slump, he added, could push several hotel owners to take out loans and credit to cover operating costs, payroll and social security payments — obligations he described as unavoidable if the properties are to survive the coming months.

“Occupancy is definitely very low, especially in the capital and Mahahual. Bacalar has a better percentage, but Chetumal has been complicated — we are at between 30% and 35% occupancy in this period, and honestly we hope it does not get worse, because we do everything possible to keep our workforce, and sometimes we turn to loans or other forms of financing to cover operating costs and payroll. We are holding on to the expectation that we can reach better occupancy and revenue levels,” Andrade Angulo said.

He acknowledged reports of changes to hotel payrolls, including rotating solidarity days off, though he did not say how many employees have been sent on leave during the period. He reiterated that the measure is intended to avoid layoffs, and that there is no record so far of drastic staff cuts. He said the sector hopes to reach December with the same trend and without reducing its workforce.

“I don’t have figures on workers who have been laid off or on drastic staff reductions. There have been some staffing adjustments at several hotels, and others are trying to arrange solidarity days off, but right now I can say that nearly all of them are trying to keep their full workforce. Our priority is our staff. Still, we hope that in December we can recover occupancy levels above 85%,” he said.

Andrade Angulo did not rule out temporary or partial closures if the downward trend in hotel occupancy continues. He said the association is working with the state Tourism Department and the Tourism Promotion Council to strengthen promotion of the region and attract more visitors, and that members will take part in trade fairs and promotional caravans to position the south’s main destinations.