France’s independent hotels led Southern Europe at €94 RevPAR

By Rebecca Stone

French independent hotels generated €94 in revenue per available room (RevPAR) in July and August 2026, up 1.8% from a year earlier and ahead of Portugal, Spain and Italy. Occupancy fell 1.3 percentage points to 64.8%.

The average price per night sold rose 3.8% to €145, the highest of the four countries. France remained the most expensive market. Its hotels chose rate over volume, producing more revenue per room even as fewer rooms were filled.

The average improved. The typical property did not. Characterful hotels and guest houses pulled France’s national result upward through higher prices, while the typical independent saw no real gain.

France’s booking mix also remained unusually direct. Bookings made without an online travel agency represented 36%, the highest share in the four-country study. Nine of the 10 most direct regions were French, including Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Occitanie.

The report characterizes French guests as booking well in advance and staying for a few nights. It also says each booking brings meaningful revenue to the property. In practice, France’s strongest performance came from charging more, not selling more.

What does the benchmark measure?

Amenitiz’s “The State of Independent Hospitality in Southern Europe” draws on operating data from 9,312 independent properties across 49 regions in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Amenitiz is a management system for independent hotels. The report is the first built on operating data for the four countries, with figures by region and department.

That scope matters because independent properties make up more than 90% of accommodation in Southern Europe. Small hotels, guest houses and holiday homes form the vast majority of properties, although consultancy surveys typically measure only chains and hotels with more than 50 rooms.

Alexandre Guinefolleau, co-founder and CEO of Amenitiz, said: “Until now, independent hoteliers have had no benchmark built on businesses like theirs.” He added: “Because we work with 11,000 independent properties in France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal, we’re in a unique position to measure a part of the industry that has always been left out.”

How did the four markets perform?

• France: Nightly rates rose as fewer rooms sold, but RevPAR still reached €94. Direct bookings accounted for 36%, and France remained the most expensive of the four.
• Italy: Prices and occupancy barely changed. The report called the year steady, with the south improving and the north slipping.
• Spain: It alone posted gains in both prices and occupancy, lifting revenue per available room.
• Portugal: It recorded the highest occupancy. Higher prices offset a small decline in rooms sold.

The paths differed enough that occupancy alone cannot explain revenue. France used price to offset lower volume. Spain improved both levers. Portugal used price to compensate for softer occupancy. Italy changed little in either.

Which French regions led?

Corsica ranked second among the 49 regions for revenue per room, behind the Balearic Islands, and posted the largest growth in France. Normandy ranked eighth, ahead of Tuscany.

Centre-Val de Loire fell furthest, losing eight occupancy points. Pays de la Loire and Île-de-France also declined.

Corse-du-Sud led departments on revenue per room. The report also placed Marne, Eure and Drôme among France’s most expensive departments, alongside the Côte d’Azur and Corsica.

How far can pricing carry into 2027?

The report calls France’s July pricing bet a success and August neutral. Its 2027 question is blunt: “The question for 2027 is not ‘should we raise prices again,’ but ‘how far in August.’”

The economics remain simple. More rate can lift revenue per available room while occupancy softens, but gains will remain concentrated if characterful properties and guest houses keep pulling up the average.

The figures provided do not disclose property-level costs, so they cannot show how much of the pricing gain survived as operating profit. For 2027, the sharper test is whether French independents can hold rate without losing the volume that supports it.