HWORLD(HTHT)2025-05-20 13:02Financial 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]