Regional Hotels Cite Strong Occupancies

By Rowland Stiteler / October 27, 1996

Regional Hotels Cite Strong Occupancies 

Orlando - Area hotels are posting one of their strongest years on record in 1996, with September occupancy at 73 percent, 5 points higher than the same period last year, which local hoteliers considered a good year. And even though the higher occupancy has driven room rates up an average of $3 a night, officials at the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors still tout the area as a relative bargain for visitors, with the average room rate at $65.78.

"There are still plenty of opportunities for budget-conscious business travelers," said Bill Peeper, CEO of the Orlando/Orange County CVB. "And part of the reason for that is the amount of product just keeps growing." The metro area currently offers more than 110,000 hotel rooms, with more hotels being constructed.

The newest major hotel, the 1,218-suite Caribe Royal Resort, opened Oct. 15 in the Lake Buena Vista area near Disney World. The property, which caters to the corporate market, is a three-towered structure with one tower of suites designated for individual business travelers, another for business travelers with families and a third for leisure. A 51,000-square-foot meeting and conference center is set to open in the fall of 1997.

Another hotel geared toward business travelers, Disney's 378-room BoardWalk Inn, opened in July.