South Florida hotels hit, but fare better than nation

More regional hotels were empty and occupied rooms brought in less
money in 2008, according to consulting group Smith Travel Research.
Miami-Dade County fared best in the area, buoyed by a larger share of
international visitors. Its occupancy fell 1 percent to 71.5 percent
and rates rose nearly 1 percent to $114.21 a night. Palm Beach County
occupancy dropped nearly 6 percent to 61.6 percent, with rates down
almost 2 percent to $152.55 a night. Broward fared better, with
occupancy down 2 percent to 65.9 percent and rates down 2 percent to
$125.35 a night. South Florida hotels performed better than the U.S. average, with the nationwide hotel occupancy rate dropping 4 percent to 63.1 percent and rates rising 2 percent to $104.04 per night, Smith Travel said.