Scandic Hotels Group reported first-quarter net sales of 4,689 million Swedish kronor, representing a 3.1% increase year-over-year and 4.7% growth on an organic basis, meeting market expectations.
Adjusted EBITDA for the period reached 105 million kronor, up from 101 million kronor in the same quarter a year earlier and about 6% higher than consensus forecasts. The adjusted EBITDA margin remained unchanged at 2.2% compared with the prior year.
Company commentary attributed the stronger-than-expected profitability to improvements in operational efficiency and disciplined cost control measures. These gains were not sufficient to fully offset several adverse factors during the quarter: weaker trading in Finland, higher energy bills connected to cold weather early in the quarter, and a negative calendar effect stemming from an early Easter.
On key operating metrics, occupancy rose to 55.8% from 55.1% in the first quarter of 2025. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) increased 1.5% year-over-year to 665 kronor.
Looking ahead, management reported robust booking momentum entering the second quarter. The company cited strong leisure demand, stable levels of business travel, and a busy events calendar as supporting the outlook. Scandic said it expects occupancy and average room rates to be slightly higher than in the prior year.
The integration of Dalata into Scandics results contributed 56 million kronor to revenue and 50 million kronor to adjusted EBITDA in the quarter. Management also confirmed that the ongoing restructuring program is progressing as planned, with completion still targeted for the second half of 2026.
Overall, the quarter combined modest top-line growth with a small beat on profitability driven by internal cost measures, while exposure to regional softness, weather-driven cost pressure, and calendar timing weighed on reported performance.