As the summer uptick fades away, U.S. hotel occupancy decreased slightly for the second consecutive week, according to the latest data from STR.
For the week of Aug. 23-29, occupancy reached 48.2 percent, down 27.7 percent compared to the same week in 2019. Average daily rate for the week was $98.39 down 23.2 percent, while revenue per available room was $47.38, down 44.5 percent.
The industry sold 237,000 fewer roomnights than the previous week, which represented a demand decrease of 1.3 percent. Week-over-week demand improvements were a constant since mid-April, but as summer ends and leisure travel fades, hotel performance gains have flattened.
Top Markets
Aggregate data for the top 25 markets showed lower occupancy (42.5 percent), but higher ADR ($99.22) than all other markets.
Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Va., was the only one of those major markets to reach a 60 percent occupancy level (60.6 percent).
Three additional markets reached or surpassed 50 percent occupancy: Los Angeles/Long Beach (53 percent), San Diego (52.3 percent); and Houston (51 percent).
A week-over-week jump in Houston occupancy (38.9 percent the previous week) is attributable to evacuations and displaced residents due to Hurricane Laura.
Markets with the lowest occupancy levels for the week included Oahu Island, Hawaii (26.6 percent), and Orlando (27.2 percent).