Occupancy rates over the quarter were equal to 69 percent, unchanged from last year in the same period, showed findings of the Middle East Benchmark Hotel Survey published by Ernst & Young.

This occupancy level has put Beirut-hotels in 14th place, in terms of occupancy, among 18 markets in the Middle East and Africa region.

In terms of prices, Beirut hotels were the fifth most expensive hotels in the region over the first three months of 2010, said the survey. The average room rate over January-February and March was $249, a gain of 22 percent compared to the same period last year.Hotels in only four regional cities- Dubai beach, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Kuwait city- were more expensive than that of Beirut.

Revenue per available room (RevPAR), another key indicator for hotel performance, reached an average of $174 over the first three months, up 22 percent from the same quarter of 2009. RevPARs in Beirut hotels posted the highest increase among hotels in the region after Dubai Beach, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai.

Beirut boasts a large number of international hotel brands, and with Lebanon expecting more than two million tourists in 2010, new hotels are either underway or on the brink of opening as the summer season kicks off.