A record-breaking season, rising costs – what’s the bottom line?

A call to the tax advisor, a glance at the latest Excel spreadsheet, and the feeling: “Somehow, it was a good winter.” Many Austrian hoteliers know this feeling all too well. The season was busy, the hotels were full, and yet, in the end, there’s less left over than expected.

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The figures recently published by Statistics Austria would normally be cause for celebration. 18.09 million overnight stays in February 2026 alone – an increase of 5.1 per cent compared with the previous year. For the entire winter season to date, from November 2025 to February 2026, a total of 54.25 million overnight stays were recorded – the highest figure ever recorded for this period.

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A record. And yet one question remains: how much of that actually translates into operational benefits?

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Who is driving growth and who isn’t?

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The increase is primarily due to international visitors: overnight stays by international guests rose by 7.1 per cent to 42.83 million in the first four months of winter. The number of guests from Germany increased by 6.6 per cent, and those from the Netherlands by 8.8 per cent. A key reason for this is that the German winter holidays fell entirely in February in 2026, whereas in the previous year they had partly fallen in March.‍

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Domestic visitors, on the other hand, saw a decline – down by 4.5 per cent in February 2026.

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This isn’t cause for alarm, but it is a sign. Businesses that cater primarily to Austrian regulars have benefited less from this record-breaking season than the figures suggest.‍

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What the overnight stay figures don’t show

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State Secretary for Tourism Elisabeth Zehetner has explicitly highlighted the challenges posed by rising costs, particularly in the areas of energy and staffing. These costs have risen structurally in recent years and will not automatically fall as the number of overnight stays increases.‍

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Till Schäfer, Managing Director of Finance at Falkensteiner Hotels & Residences, put it this way in an interview with profitize: “Revenue is like snow – it looks good, but it hides everything.” The snow melts. And then you see what lies beneath.

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For many businesses, this includes: staff costs that have risen disproportionately during peak weeks; fixed costs that have risen in tandem; and a lack of comparative data that would show whether their own cost structure is still within reasonable limits.

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What this season is worth now

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Record seasons create breathing space. But they offer no clarity on just how well your business is actually performing. The overnight stay statistics say nothing about how high the staff costs ratio was during the weeks in February. Nothing about which cost items have risen disproportionately. And nothing about whether the profit corresponds to what would have been possible given that level of occupancy.

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Hoteliers who analyse this season not just in statistical terms but also from a business perspective will go into the summer better prepared and with a clear understanding of where they can make a difference.

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The record is here. The question is, what will we do with it?

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About profitize

profitize is an AI-powered financial planning and analysis platform for hotels. The platform consolidates data from PMS, POS, accounting, energy suppliers and HR systems into a single interface, translating it into clear key performance indicators, early warnings and specific recommendations for action.

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This gives hotel owners and managers not only an overview of their current figures, but also a management tool featuring forecasts, budget planning, cash flow analysis and industry comparisons. Designed for independent and family-run businesses looking to improve their performance – without the need for a degree in management accounting.

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Sources

Statistics Austria, Beherbergungsstatistik Februar 2026 (published 26.03.2026)

faktum.at: „Wintersaison 2026 bringt starken Aufschwung“, 26.03.2026

Salzburger Nachrichten: „Neuer Tourismusrekord: Nächtigungen in der Wintersaison legten ordentlich zu“, 26.03.2026

profitize Investor Talk with Till Schäfer, Managing Director Finance, FMTG – Falkensteiner Michaeler Tourism Group

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