After the crisis caused by rising prices, the occupancy rate of hotels in Belem during the COP was lower than expected

Cause of the crisis In the preparations for the 30th COP in Belem, the occupancy rate of the hotel chain in the city was lower than expected during the event. According to the Brazilian Association of the Hotel Industry of Pará (ABIH-PA), the index reached 83%, while expectations were 95%. However, facilities celebrated higher revenues.

– Revenues compensated for the lower than expected rate – said Antonio Santiago, President of ABIH. — but the overall balance was very positive for the hotel industry in Belem. Not to mention the city that benefited greatly from the event.

At the beginning of the year, Belém had a network of about 25,000 beds, but the demand reported by the UN was 50,000. As a result, staff were needed in order to double the supply, and to this end, new hotels were built and ships were chartered across the Atlantic to operate as sea hotels.

But Santiago questioned UN expectations, saying that the number of participants was “at most” 25,000 participants, taking into account heads of state, delegates and delegations. In addition to 15,000 journalists, volunteers and civil society activists.

– The UN figures were quite optimistic – said the head of ABIH-PA.

At the beginning of the year, while Belém was still struggling to expand the supply of beds, prices in Belém rose, causing an international crisis due to complaints from other countries. In August, a Globo survey on specialized websites showed, for example, that accommodation in a three-star hotel in the city was now being offered for nearly twice the amount charged by the Copacabana Palace, located on the edge of Rio’s internationally recognized beach.

In the capital, Pará, the total amount spent for simple rooms can range between R$28,700 and R$85,000 between November 10 and 21 – the average daily rate in Belém can reach R$7,431.77, plus fees and taxes. To stay at the emblematic Rio Hotel, the client must pay an amount starting from R$47,000 in the same range, an amount 80.5% less than the maximum practiced at the COP30 headquarters.

In September, the Executive Secretary of the UN Climate Convention, Simon Steele, formally recommended that UN agencies reduce the size of their delegations. A notice of this directive was sent on Tuesday and can be seen on the UNFCCC portal. Instead, virtual sharing will be expanded.

As the event approaches, many hotels are reducing their prices, while expanding the offer.

Crisis symbol hotel was not full

Two days after COP30, the hotel in Belem that attracted attention for changing its name and increasing its daily rate by 8,000% due to the event still has rooms available and reduced its rates. If in August the COP 30 hotel – as it was named after the “modernization” – charged a daily rate of R$5,670, this week the price offered for accommodation during the climate conference is R$900 for a double room, an 84% drop in value.

This Tuesday (11) O GLOBO contacted the commercial representative of the COP 30 Hotel to ask about vacancies and prices. There was availability for a group of four and two. The report called for different definitions until the end of the COP on November 21.

For a group of four people, there is still one room available, the ‘Family Room’, which accommodates up to five guests. The cost is R$2,000 per day, or R$500 per person. According to the hotel, it is the last hotel available given the required period.

For two people, there is the option of a double room, which is also the last one available, with a double bed. The cost is R$900 per day, or R$450 per person when the cost is split. Your stay at the COP 30 hotel includes breakfast.

A month ago, a double room was offered for R$750, meaning there was an increase after the start of the COP, but at a price still well below the peak of the accommodation crisis in the middle of the year.

According to data from the Brazilian Hotel Industry Association of Pará (ABIH-PA), the hotel chain in the state reached an average occupancy rate of 95% during COP30.

before naming it "Hotel note 10"Foundation "Hotel COP30" It began charging a daily rate during the conference that was 80 times higher than it was two years ago – Image: Google Street View (April 2023) and reproduction — The COP30 Hotel Foundation, formerly known as the Nota 10 Hotel, has begun charging a daily rate during the conference that is 80 times higher than two years ago – Image: Google Street View (April 2023) and reproduction

As O GLOBO explained, the property used to be called “Hotel Nota 10,” but was renamed Hotel COP 30 after it was sold and underwent renovations. In addition to the new name, the hotel has seen a huge increase in prices. In April 2023, the price paid for a one-night stay at the then “Nota 10 Hotel” was R$70, as shown in the image obtained by GLOBO on the Google Street View platform. The building is located in the Campina district, an upscale area of Belem.