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Hotels & Resorts

Canada tops global rankings for hotel seasonality in new report

In a new report, SiteMinder highlights the ‘unique seasonality’ of the Canadian hotel industry which saw close to three times as many guests in August 2024 as it did in January 2024.

SiteMinder’s Hotel Booking Trends — based on over 125 million online hotel reservations –revealed that 38% of Canada’s guest arrivals in 2024 occurred between June and August, marking a 1.7% increase compared to the same period in 2023.

By contrast, just 35% of arrivals took place during the combined six months from January to April and November to December. August led as the busiest month, hosting 13.74% of guests, followed by July (13.33%) and June (11.14%). January, with just 4.72% of arrivals, was the quietest.

The findings also cemented Canada’s status as the most seasonal hotel market globally in SiteMinder’s report, ahead of other highly summer-heavy destinations like Portugal, Italy and Spain.

However, while the peak period remained a defining feature for the country’s hotels, they experienced strong performance overall, with average occupied room rates increasing to CA$318, up 3% from the prior year, and reaching CA$371 in July. This placed Canada among the 65% of global markets where average rates continued to climb in 2024.

SiteMinder’s VP of ecosystem and strategic partnerships, James Bishop, says the finding shows travellers are not only seeking out hotel websites in strengthening numbers, but spending more when they do.
Said Bishop: “When booking directly, travellers are choosing higher-value rooms, staying longer and adding extras, and each of these factors represents a tremendous opportunity for hotels to provide those exclusive deals.”

Bishop continued: “This certainly doesn’t mean hoteliers should disregard third-party channels in 2025; they continue to offer unique and unmatched reach, as well as simplicity, as evidenced by their continued dominance in each one of the Top 12 lists of hotel booking revenue-makers worldwide. But what our findings highlight is the importance of hotels delivering an easy booking experience that comes with smooth payments and strong security, just as third-party channels do so well.”

Go to www.siteminder.com for more.