Europe’s independent hotels saw rise in bookings and revenue during summer

RoomRaccoon, a leading hotel management system for independent accommodations, has published the European Hotel Performance Report – Summer 2025, offering a detailed picture of how the hotel market in Europe performed during the peak summer season.

The study was based on more than 600,000 bookings from 2,000 independent hotels in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain and Portugal, during the period June–August, recording significant changes in occupancy, prices, booking channels and additional revenue.

The key finding: independent hotels in Europe are seeing earlier bookings, with guests staying longer and generating additional revenue from additional services.

Key findings in detail

August: a month of records
In Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands, hoteliers recorded their highest ADR and RevPAR in August. In contrast, Belgium and the UK peaked in July, while Spain earlier in June, with occupancy rates reaching 79%.

Bookings earlier
The average planning time rose from 42 to 53 days. The UK, the Netherlands and Spain saw the biggest increases, giving hoteliers more visibility into demand and the ability to better price strategize.

Diversified travel patterns
In southern Europe, extended summer holidays are gaining ground, with Spain recording an increase in stays of 5+ nights. In the North, short-term getaways (1–2 nights) dominate, with Germany showing a small increase in 3–4 night packages.

Dynamics of direct bookings
Direct channels won the lead in Belgium and the United Kingdom, while in the Netherlands and Germany they are now on the same level as Booking.com. At the same time, Google Hotel Ads made their presence felt, entering the top five channels.

Development of additional revenues
Services such as parking, breakfast, late check-out and personalized travel experiences accounted for a larger percentage of total turnover compared to 2024. Those hoteliers who offered the possibility of booking extra services saw a significant increase in revenues, compensating for the decrease in room rates.

RoomRaccoon’s View

“Summer 2025 showed that independent hotels in Europe are more active than ever, but at the same time exposed to pricing pressures. On the positive side, travelers are booking earlier, staying longer in certain markets, and are more open to additional services – all of which give hoteliers new opportunities to protect and grow revenue,” said Tymen van Dyl, CEO and founder of RoomRaccoon, highlighting the importance of AI tools for dynamic pricing and a stronger direct booking strategy.