August U.S. hotel occupancy decreased 1.4 percent year over year to 70.7 percent,

STR reported. Average daily rate increased 3.6 percent to $122.32. August marked the first in 69 months that year-over-year room demand declined. It was still the fourth-best month on record, considering the drop was just 0.3 percent and demand was around 110 million room nights, according to STR. Among the top 25 markets, Denver experienced the most significant increase in ADR, 10 percent to $128.16, while New York saw the largest decrease, 3.3 percent to $232.76. Phoenix posted the largest rise in occupancy, 4.9 percent to 54.6 percent, while Houston reported the largest decline, 7.6 to 65.5 percent.