As December came to an end, U.S. hotel occupancy dropped despite an increase in air travel, according to the latest data from STR.
For the week of Dec. 13-19, hotel occupancy reached 36.8 percent, down 26.4 percent from the comparable week in 2019. Average daily rate for the week was $85.50, down 21.9 percent, while revenue per available room was $31.45, down 42.5 percent.
STR noted the industry also surpassed 1 billion unsold roomnights for the first time on record.
By the following week, U.S. weekly hotel occupancy fell to its lowest level since early May. From Dec. 20-26, occupancy dropped to 32.5 percent, down 33 percent from 2019, while RevPAR decreased to $29.94, down 52.3 percent.
ADR, however, improved to $92.08, but was still down 28.8 percent from the previous year.
Top Markets
Aggregate data for the top 25 markets for the week of Dec. 13-19 showed lower occupancy (34.9 percent) but higher ADR ($90) than all other markets. Among the top 25 markets, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla. (45.4 percent) saw the highest occupancy level. The top markets with the lowest occupancy levels for the week included Oahu Island, Hawaii (21.6 percent), and Minneapolis/St. Paul/Wisconsin (23.9 percent).
For the following week, the markets showed identical occupancy (32.5 percent) to the nationwide average, but higher ADR ($94.36) than all other markets. Among the top 25 markets, Miami/Hialeah, Fla. (47.5 percent) saw the highest occupancy level. Top 25 markets with the lowest occupancy levels for the week included Minneapolis/St. Paul/Wisconsin (22.3 percent), and Boston (23.5 percent).