Ghana hostels see high occupancy as hotel rates lag

According to the Ghana Statistical Service’s first Accommodation Unit Survey, hostels in Ghana recorded high occupancy rates exceeding 90% between November 2024 and February 2025. Standard hostels saw the highest utilization, with room occupancy ranging between 96% and 99%.

In contrast, hotels averaged approximately 40% occupancy during the same period, despite representing about 70% of the nation's total room capacity. One-star hotels experienced particularly low occupancy, falling to 28% in February 2025, with bed occupancy at 24%.

The survey highlighted significant disparities based on business size and location. Establishments with 100 rooms or more maintained occupancy rates between 83% and 86%, while those with 90 to 99 rooms saw rates as low as 10.2% in February. Regionally, Savannah recorded the highest occupancy at 63.7% in January, whereas Eastern, Bono East, and Volta remained below 28% throughout the four-month period. Greater Accra reported the highest revenue per available room and average daily room rates.