July hotel occupancy increased in Miami-Dade and Broward

July occupancy rates rose at hotels in Miami-Dade and Broward counties from last year’s levels but declined in Palm Beach County, according to Tennessee-based STR, a hotel research firm.

Many South Florida hotels got a year-over-year lift from the absence of obstacles to high occupancy in the summer of 2016, including an algae bloom that fouled waterways in the tri-county area and fears of mosquitos carrying the Zika virus.

The July occupancy rate at Miami-Dade hotels increased to 80.9 percent from 78 percent in July of last year, and the average daily room rate in July rose to $159.07 from $157.77 last year.

The occupancy rate at Broward hotels edged up to 80.4 percent in July from 79.2 percent in the same month last year as the average daily room rate went up to $115.40 from $114.72 last year.

In Palm Beach County, the average daily room rate in July was almost unchanged at $123.46 despite a decline in occupancy to 70.5 percent from 71.2 percent in July 2016.

The state’s tourism marketing arm, Visit Florida, reported last week that the state hosted 60.7 million visitors in the first half of the year, up 4.1 percent from the same period last year. [Sun-Sentinel] – Mike Seemuth