The price of a hotel room in the Netherlands is now well above the pre-coronavirus level of 2019 but occupancy rates have not yet fully recovered, according to a new report on the Dutch hotel sector by Horwath HTL.

On average, a hotel room in the Netherlands cost €166 last year, a rise of 38% since 2019, the research showed. In Amsterdam, however, a hotel room cost an average of €205 in 2023, compared with €151 in 2019.

“The current results and projections for Amsterdam and Schiphol show further recovery and if this continues, Amsterdam hotels will end the year with an occupancy rate of 78%, and average prices in line with 2023,” Horwath said.

Hotel prices are set to rise again in 2026 if the new government presses ahead with an increase in value-added tax, from 9% to 21%. In Amsterdam, the increase is likely to be even higher, because  tourist tax is going up from 7% plus €3 per person to 12.5% for each overnight stay.

“Luxury hotels in Amsterdam which charge €600 a night will soon have to include €75 a night in tourist tax, which is a bitter aftertaste for guests,” said Remco Groenhuijzen, director of the Mövenpick Hotel Amsterdam City, last month.

The nationwide hotel occupancy rate, at just under 75%, is three percentage points below the pre-coronavirus period.

In Amsterdam, however, the occupancy rate is 77.6%, and this is still well below 2019’s 85.3%. The Dutch capital has been trying to discourage mass tourism with a number of measures, and has also put a stop on new hotel construction. There are some 500 hotels in the city and its surrounding area.