Big jump in Orlando room occupancy
Orlando area hotel occupancy in January was the highest for 16 years, according to the latest data from hospitality analysts Smith Travel Research.
Orlando hotels filled 72.7% of rooms during the month, boosted by strong attendance at theme parks and large-scale events at the Orange County Convention Center such the Home & Garden Show and the PGA Show.
This was the highest January occupancy since 1998.
Hotel rates also jumped 5% compared to January last year to an average daily rate of $110.21.
Bad weather also likely boosted visitation, with winter weary travelers heading south to escape the cold.
On top of this, Orlando Airport suffered several days of knock-on flight cancelations, trapping vacationers in Orlando for longer when northbound flights were scrapped.
Most notably, the statistics showed big gains for the budget hotel market, recording a 21.5% jump in revenue per available room.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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