Summary of observations for the March 2025 financial year.
This report covers the six years from March 2020 to March 2025 inclusive, with just over 880 samples. The program now holds 10 years of data with more than 1,660 samples. Charts covering the full 10‑year period are available on request.
As more data is collected each year—often including financial accounts from previous years—the earlier sample sizes also continue to grow. At the time of releasing the 2024 survey there were 94 samples; this has since increased to 148 samples for 2024.
Revenue for the year to March 2025 is recorded at $37,764 per unit, marking the first post‑Covid year‑on‑year decline. This may change as more samples are added. However, winter 2024 was widely reported as a difficult trading period for many businesses during the technical recession.
According to the Reserve Bank Inflation Calculator, room rates from 2020 to 2025 have broadly kept pace with inflation, which compounded is around 24 percent over the six years. However, operating costs appear to have risen faster, reducing profit margins in recent years. Rates have increased by just under 50 percent and insurance by over 54 percent over the same period.
Cleaners’ wages show a somewhat surprising reduction in reported expenses, given rising labour costs. A likely explanation is that operators are actively trying to reduce costs wherever possible.