Tampa and Orlando Hotels Report Occupancy Increase at End of August


Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

The late summer travel trends are still looking bleak for airlines, hotels and resorts, but a handful of cities are reporting promising occupancy rates at their major hotels. According to a recent report from Smith Travel Research, an independent research company that serves the U.S. lodging industry, industry-wide occupancy rates fell approximately 7.2 percent for the week ending August 22, 2009 and the average daily rate dropped approximately 10.2 percent. However, several markets reported a significant increase in hotel occupancy rates.

Orlando, Florida reported an increase of 5.1 percent, bringing its occupancy rates to 58.3 percent for the week of August 22, 2009, while the Tampa-St. Petersburg market reported in increase of 15.9 percent, bringing its occupancy rate to 49 percent for the week ending August 22, 2009. Nashville, Tennessee reported the smallest ADR decline, and New York, Denver and San Francisco reported some of the biggest ADR decreases for the period.

Occupancy rates in Florida may be on the rise as more travelers flock to the theme parks and other major attractions around Central, South, and Northern Florida for the peak season. Orlando typically experiences a surge in visitors from Halloween through  New Year’s, while other parts of Florida see a steady increase in travel and tourism during the winter months as northerners head south for a vacation.

The U.S. Travel Association reports that more Americans are still making leisure plans for travel from August 2009 and January 2010 compared to the same time last year, so hotel occupancy rates could steadily increase over the next few months. Still, hoteliers are offering deep discounts and attractive packages as incentives to both business and leisure travelers, hoping to stimulate sales and book as many rooms as possible as they recover from the sharp downturn in recent months. Travelers can now find a variety of cheap flight and hotel packages at key destinations around the country.