Events, holidays, overseas visitors drive “standout” Feb for NZ hotels…

12th March 2026 By Paul Yandall | paul@propertyticker.co.nz | @propertyticker

New Zealand’s hotel market saw one of the strongest months since the pandemic with international visitors, domestic demand and events driving occupancy and revenue toward pre-Covid levels.

Horwath HTL’s latest New Zealand Hotel Performance Focus showed that the national hotel occupancy rate was 89% for February, with national revenue per available room for the month up 22% year-on-year – the strongest monthly growth for two-and-a-half years.

“February was a standout month for the New Zealand hotel market, supported by strong international arrivals, a full events calendar, and favourable timing around public holidays,” the consultancy said in its latest analysis of Hotel Council Aotearoa’s Hotel Data New Zealand. 

“National hotel occupancy and revenue results moved back toward pre-Covid highs, and RevPAR recorded its strongest monthly growth since August 2023.”

International visitor growth was led by a 32% increase in monthly arrivals from China and Hong Kong, with Chinese New Year starting in mid-February this year.

In Auckland, occupancy of 89% matched pre-Covid levels, supported by large events. 

“Major events including the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, SailGP, and Pride Festival attracted large domestic audiences, while Chinese New Year was associated with almost double the number of Chinese room nights compared with last year,” Horwath HTL said.

“Queenstown remained the country’s rate leader and one of its highest-occupancy markets. Occupancy was 92%, up from 88% a year earlier, with ADR up 24% to $450, resulting in the highest monthly ADR ever recorded for the destination.”

However, the consultancy said that high room rates in Queenstown brought both opportunity and risk.

“On the one hand, they demonstrate robust pricing power and the destination’s ability to monetize peak-period demand, creating a platform for operators and owners to reinforce rate integrity and invest in product and service upgrades. 

“On the other hand, when guests are paying rates typically associated with upper-upscale and luxury markets, expectations rise sharply around room quality, design, maintenance, service consistency, and the overall experience.”

Horwath HTL’s latest New Zealand Hotel Performance Focus can be read here.