The terror attack in Westminster led to no discernible decline in occupancy at London’s hotels, according to hospitality industry analyst STR.
The attack on March 22 left five people dead and a sixth victim has subsequently died.
But STR reported London’s occupancy levels remained “in line with typical March performance patterns” over the days to March 28.
Preliminary data also suggest that “the market recorded significant year-over-year growth in both occupancy and average daily rate (ADR)” following the event.
STR reported a near 23% increase in average daily rate to £147.32 on March 25 compared with the same day last year.
It contrasted this apparent lack of disruption to that following the Bastille Day attack in Nice in July 2016, in which 85 people died, and the Christmas market attack in berlin in December which left 12 dead.
The lack of performance disruption in London differed from the situations around other recent attacks (Nice in July 2016 and Berlin in December 2016).
Within four days of the 14 July Bastille Day attack, STR reported that daily hotel occupancy in Nice dropped from 94.6% to 72.8% within four days of the attack and Berlin also suffered a decline, although less severe.
Thomas Emanuel, STR director of business development, said: “We’re seeing now that the way a hotel market reacts to an attack really does depend on the severity.
“When there is a larger number of casualties, as was the case in Nice, Brussels and Paris over the past two years, it takes a longer duration without additional incidents for tourism confidence to grow.
“This is also what we’ve noticed in Istanbul, as it remains to be seen when the market will be deemed a safe destination again.”