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HWORLD(HTHT) - 2025 Q1 - Earnings Call Transcript
2025-05-20 13:02
Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The overall revenue for the group increased by 2.2% year over year to RMB 5.4 billion [21] - Adjusted EBITDA grew by 5.3% year over year to RMB 1.5 billion [24] - The number of rooms increased by 20% year over year to over 1.1 million [21] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue from Lexi Huazhu grew by 5.5% year over year, while DH revenue decreased by 11.3% year over year due to the transformation of leased hotels to franchised hotels [22] - Managed and franchised business revenue grew by 21.1% year over year, driven by strong network expansion [22] - The number of upper midscale hotels in operation increased by 36% year over year to 933 [13] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - RevPAR declined by 3.9% year over year, with ADR decreasing by 2.6% year over year and occupancy rate declining by one percentage point [7] - RevPAR for legacy DH improved by 12.7% to €65, with ADR improving by 2.8% and occupancy increasing by 5.3 percentage points [17] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on differentiated strategies for products and services to capture rising leisure demand, particularly from emerging travelers [10] - The company aims to maintain a strong growth momentum in the upper midscale segment and is continuously upgrading products to meet evolving customer demands [13] - The company is pursuing an asset-light strategy, with 46% of its hotels being managed or franchised [18] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management remains cautious about potential future volatilities and uncertainties due to tariff issues affecting market outlook [8] - Despite challenges in business travel demand, management believes the leisure travel demand remains strong and is optimistic about future growth [8][29] - For the second quarter, management expects RevPAR to decline at a low single digit but to narrow on a sequential basis [29] Other Important Information - The company opened 695 hotels and closed 155 hotels in the first quarter, with a pipeline of 2,865 hotels [11] - The member base increased to nearly 280 million, with room nights generated through the central reservation system accounting for 65.1% [15] Q&A Session Summary Question: Expectations on RevPAR for Q2 2025 and full year 2025 - Management expects RevPAR to decline at a low single digit for Q2 but aims to stabilize it over time, with uncertainties affecting the full year guidance [29] Question: Specific reasons behind the weakness in business travel - Management attributes the weakness in business travel to supply issues rather than demand, citing an oversupply in the market [30] Question: Further plans on the DH strategy to improve profitability - Management is focused on asset-light transactions and reducing overhead costs to improve profitability in the DH segment [34] Question: Evaluation of the competition landscape in limited service - Management acknowledges the pressure on RevPAR due to oversupply but emphasizes efforts to improve operational efficiency and support franchisees [36] Question: SG&A costs and one-off restructuring costs - Management confirms that restructuring is ongoing and that SG&A costs are not yet fully normalized, with some effects still to be seen [42] Question: Gap between blended RevPAR and like-for-like RevPAR - Management explains the gap is due to product upgrades and pressures from supply surges, with efforts underway to optimize revenue management [47]
HWORLD(HTHT) - 2025 Q1 - Earnings Call Transcript
2025-05-20 13:00
Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q1 2025, the group's revenue increased by 2.2% year over year to RMB 5.4 billion, aligning with guidance [19] - Adjusted EBITDA grew by 5.3% year over year to RMB 1.5 billion, with Lexi Huazhu's adjusted EBITDA increasing by 5.8% year over year to RMB 1.6 billion [23] - Operating cash flow generated in Q1 was RMB 580 million, with cash and cash equivalents at RMB 11.8 billion, indicating a solid cash position of RMB 6.5 billion [23] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue from Lexi Huazhu grew by 5.5% year over year, while DH revenue decreased by 11.3% year over year due to the transformation of 10 leased hotels to franchised hotels [20] - The number of upper midscale hotels in operation increased by 36% year over year to 933, with the pipeline growing by 22% year over year to 523 [11] - The proportion of managed and franchised hotels increased to 46%, up from 38% in Q1 2024, with asset-light hotels in the pipeline at 57% [16] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - RevPAR declined by 3.9% year over year, with ADR decreasing by 2.6% and occupancy rate declining slightly by one percentage point [6] - The company noted strong performance in North Africa and the Middle East, with RevPAR for legacy DH improving by 12.7% to €65 [15] - The company reported a positive year-over-year growth in industry RevPAR during the Labor Day holiday, indicating a recovery in leisure travel demand [8] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on differentiated strategies for products and services to capture rising leisure demand, particularly from emerging travelers [8] - There is a commitment to maintaining a strong growth momentum in the upper midscale segment while upgrading products and core brands to meet evolving customer demands [11] - The company aims to achieve a leading position in market share while ensuring profitability for newly opened hotels [55] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed cautious optimism regarding leisure travel demand, despite uncertainties related to tariff issues [7] - For Q2 2025, management expects RevPAR to decline at a low single digit but to narrow on a sequential basis, with a focus on stabilizing revenue [28] - The management acknowledged that the business travel segment is under pressure primarily due to supply issues rather than demand [29] Other Important Information - The company opened 695 hotels and closed 155 in Q1 2025, with a pipeline of 2,865 hotels by quarter end [9] - The member base increased to nearly 280 million, with room nights generated through the central reservation system accounting for 65.1% [13] - The company is actively pursuing asset-light transactions to improve profitability and reduce overhead costs [34] Q&A Session Summary Question: Expectations on RevPAR for Q2 2025 and full year 2025 - Management expects RevPAR to decline at a low single digit for Q2 2025, with efforts to stabilize it amid uncertainties [28] Question: Specific reasons behind business travel weakness - Management indicated that the weakness is more related to supply issues rather than demand, with significant supply increases over the past two years [29] Question: Further plans on DH strategy to improve profitability - Management is focused on asset-light transactions and reducing overhead costs, with ongoing restructuring efforts [34] Question: Evaluation of competition landscape in limited service - Management noted that fixed costs, particularly rental costs, have been declining, and operational efficiency is being improved to maintain competitiveness [37] Question: Reasons for the gap between blended RevPAR and like-for-like RevPAR - The gap is attributed to continuous product upgrades and pressures from supply surges, with efforts to optimize revenue management [49]
HWORLD(HTHT) - 2024 Q4 - Earnings Call Transcript
2025-03-21 03:03
Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q4 2024, total revenue for the group increased 7.8% year-over-year to RMB6 billion, exceeding guidance [45] - For the full-year 2024, total revenue increased 9.2% year-over-year to RMB23.9 billion [45] - Adjusted net income was RMB321 million in Q4 2024, with full-year adjusted net income increasing 5.8% year-over-year to RMB3.7 billion [54] - The group generated operational cash inflow of RMB7.5 billion in 2024 [54] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Legacy-Huazhu's revenue increased 9.2% year-over-year to RMB4.8 billion in Q4 2024, with full-year revenue growing 9.1% to RMB19 billion [45] - Legacy-DH's revenue rose 2.9% year-over-year to RMB1.2 billion in Q4 and increased 9.6% year-over-year to RMB4.9 billion for the full-year [46] - Legacy-Huazhu's blended RevPAR decreased slightly by 3% to RMB235, while occupancy rate improved by 0.2 percentage points to 81.2% [17][18] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The number of domestic tourists in China reached 5.6 billion, up 14.8% year-over-year, with total domestic tourism spending increasing 17.1% to RMB5.8 trillion [10] - The hotel turnover for the full-year 2024 was RMB93 billion, a 15% year-over-year increase [44] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to reach 20,000 hotels in 2,000 cities in the near future, focusing on high-quality development and brand positioning [16][32] - The asset-light model strategy is expected to generate stronger and healthier cash flow, with over 50% of revenue contribution from asset-light business [13][47] Management Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that while there are macro uncertainties, domestic travel demand continues to grow steadily, with leisure travel outpacing business travel [8][10] - For Q1 2025, management expects a low single-digit decline in RevPAR year-over-year, but remains confident about stabilization and potential growth for the full year [65] Other Important Information - The company revised its dividend payout policy to no less than 60% of net profit and announced a US$300 million final cash dividend for the second half of 2024 [56] - The company plans to open around 2,300 hotels in 2025 while closing around 600 hotels, representing a 15% year-over-year growth in hotel network [60] Q&A Session Summary Question: RevPAR outlook for Q1 and full-year - Management expects a low single-digit decline in Q1 RevPAR year-over-year but is confident about stabilization and potential growth for the full year [65] Question: Strategy change for Legacy-DH and earnings recovery - Management indicated that the focus for 2025 will be on stabilizing the business and performance while looking for growth opportunities through asset-light and organic growth [67][68] Question: Future dividend payout expectations - Management confirmed the commitment to the current shareholder return plan, aiming to return up to US$2 billion over three years, primarily through cash dividends [78]