U.S. hotel industry recovery continued in September, with
occupancy, rates and revenues all up from the previous year, according to data
released Friday by Smith Travel Research.
Occupancy for the month was just 0.1 percentage points shy
of the 60 percent mark, up 6.7 percent from September 2009, and average daily
rate was up 2 percent. As a result, revenue per available room was up 8.8
percent for U.S. hotels.
STR president Mark Lomanno said in a statement that the
numbers show "that the transient customer, both business and leisure, has
returned to some markets and have even surpassed historical highs in terms of
rooms purchased." Group travel, on the other hand, remains below 2008
levels, and a return to that is a prerequisite for significant rate growth,
according to Lomanno.
Of the top 25 U.S. markets, rates increased the most in New
York, up 12.1 percent to an average of $280.78 per night. San Francisco and New
Orleans hotels also increased rates by about 9 percent, and rates were up 8.3
percent in Boston. Rates in Nashville and Houston, however, decreased by 3.6
percent and 3 percent, respectively.
All major markets across the United States increased in
occupancy in September, led by New Orleans, where occupancy increased by 34.9
percent.