Millenium & Copthorne (M&C) hotel group, which runs 91 hotels in 16 countries, has announced upbeat first quarter results for the three months to 31 March.

While group turnover increased only slightly to £126m from £125.1m the year before, the group saw its pre-tax profits soar to £5.6m – a 19 per cent increase from the same period last year.

Group revpar for the quarter was up 3.7 per cent and the group said it was confident that the positive trend would continue.

Kwek Leng Beng, chair, said: “Although still early in the financial year, the group’s performance for the first quarter of 2004 confirms that our recovery is on track.

“Group revpar for the four weeks to 28 April was up 24.4 per cent, albeit against easier comparatives in 2003.”

M&C, which operates three properties in the United Arab Emirates and 13 across Asia, suffered badly from the build up of war in Iraq and the outbreak of SARS.

The group said that its operations in Asia were “continuing to improve”, while revpar during the quarter in the region was up 7 per cent.