Abu Dhabi hotels have recorded the best August guest arrivals to date with the number of people checking into the emirate’s accommodation last August rising 22 per cent on August last year.

According to figures just released by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority 306,890 guests stayed in Abu Dhabi’s 156 hotels and hotel apartments last August delivering 877,819 guest nights – a 24 per cent year-on-year rise.

The average guest length-of-stay nudged up one per cent to 2.86 nights.

UK guest arrivals in August grew 36 per cent year-on-year, up to 14,437 from 10,639, with guest nights rising 24 per cent for the same period, from 52,468 to 64,958.

“We are much encouraged by the August results, with hotel occupancy for the month achieving 70 per cent, which is up by 11 per cent on last year,” said Jasem Al Darmaki, acting director general, TCA Abu Dhabi.

“And this has to be judged alongside the fact that we have more hotels to fill this year than last.”

Abu Dhabi has ten more hotels than this time last year with an additional 2,495 rooms in the market.

Hotel revenues for August rose 19 per cent to AED401 million with food & beverage accounting for AED143 million – a 14 per cent year-on-year uplift.

“Summer this year has seen a host of entertainment events in Abu Dhabi which, together with a very affordable room rate of AED352 could well have influenced the uplift,” said Al Darmaki.

“We are already planning for Abu Dhabi Summer Season 2015 with the aim of taking our product much earlier to market.”

The August performance has taken Abu Dhabi’s hotel guest arrivals for the first eight months of the year to 2.2 million – which is 27 per cent up on the corresponding period last year.

Year-on-year guest nights have risen 22 per cent to 6.67 million with hotel occupancy lifting eight per cent to 73 per cent though average-length-of-stay has dipped 4 four per cent to just over three nights.