Hotel biz posts improved occupancy, revenues

The U.S. hotel industry posted increased occupancy and revenue per available room numbers for the week ending March 6, according to data from Smith Travel Research, a rare bright spot in what has been a shaky couple of years for the hospitality sector. The 0.9 percent revenue per available room, or revpar, increase, to $52.75, was the third in 18 months and the first that wasn’t holiday-related. Luxury hotels reported the largest increase in revpar, up 10.2 percent to $160.19. Occupancy was up overall to 54.9 percent from 50.9 percent one week earlier, while the average daily rate dropped 3 percent to $96.05. Luxury hotels also were most-improved in terms of occupancy, up 16.5 percent to 66.4 percent. The Miami-Hialeah market was the most-improved region with average daily rates up 10.1 percent to $189.37. “The growth in year-over-year revpar is significant because the occupancies are clearly showing an improvement and the decline in rates is finally starting to slow,” said Randy Smith, co-founder and CEO of Smith Travel Research. “While the size of the revpar increase is not significant, it is a clear sign that the outlook for the industry is improving.” TRD