U.S. hotel market builds momentum

National hotel occupancy was up 2.6 percent year-over-year for the week ending Feb. 11, according to data from hotel analytics firm STR. The average daily hotel rate also increased 3.8 percent to $102.01 and revenue per available room, or revpar, was up 6.5 percent to $57, all signs that the hotel industry is in good form.

Among the top 25 U.S. markets surveyed by STR, California featured heavily on the top end, with San Francisco/San Mateo experiencing the largest occupancy increase, rising 17.3 percent to 80.9 percent. That average daily rate for that region also jumped 40.4 percent to $205.37, achieving the largest increase in that metric.

Meanwhile, New Orleans saw a 5.8-percent decrease in occupancy to 67.9 percent. — Katherine Clarke