By Akram Medhat
Hotel marketing consultant Sameh Saad revealed a study he prepared to estimate the per-person cost per night on floating hotels after the increase in fuel prices at different occupancy levels. The study helps those setting hotel pricing policy make the right decision on the size of increases according to operating costs, given the current weak occupancy at the height of the summer season, or with the normal seasonal recovery in winter, for the hotels whose cruises are concentrated between Luxor and Aswan.
The study, a copy of which was obtained by "Travel Yalla News", set fixed criteria: the average number of cabins available daily on a floating hotel, which is 68 cabins; the number of available beds, 136; and the price per liter of fuel ("diesel and oil"), which was EGP 2.43 before the increase and is EGP 3.75 after it.
The study stated that the per-person cost of fuel per night at the lowest average occupancy rate, 15%, was EGP 255 ($14.2) before the increase, while after the increase it reached EGP 383 ($21.3), a rise of 50%, which is high compared with the prices at which rooms are sold during a slump.
The study added that the per-person cost of fuel per night at the highest occupancy rate, 90%, was only EGP 43 ($2.4) before the increase, becoming EGP 64 ($3.5) after it, which represents a low cost and achieves high gains as bookings pick up at the peak of the winter season, especially during the Egyptian mid-year school holiday.
Below is a statement of the study's details, showing the per-person share of fuel consumption costs for floating hotels before and after the price increase:
