Hotels in Abu Dhabi are estimated to have seen declines in occupancy, rates and revenue during September, according to preliminary data collected by STR. The market reported a 3.9% Y-o-Y increase in supply and a 3% Y-o-Y drop in demand. STR figures also showed a 6.7ppt Y-o-Y decrease in occupancy rate for September to 68.9% and a 6.4% Y-o-Y decrease in ADR to AED400.50 and a 12.6% Y-o-Y decrease in RevPAR to AED275.80. This makes the month the weakest September in Abu Dhabi since 2005. On a separate note, STR’s September 2016 Pipeline Report showed 159,127 rooms in 555 projects under construction in the Middle East, while the total number of rooms in the Middle East witnessed a 14.8% increase Y-o-Y. The largest number of rooms under construction is in Saudi Arabia (36,545 rooms in 78 hotels), followed by the UAE (26,552 rooms in 94 hotels), while Qatar reported 7,889 rooms in 33 hotels. (Arabian Business)