Hotel-convention recovery seen in latest Orlando figures
Anyone looking for evidence that the North American hotel and convention market is in a recovery mode can cite tourist-dependent Orlando, where about eight of every ten rooms in March were filled — a highly unusual feat that has not happened in three years.
"Even in our best times, it’s tough to get 80 percent," Scott Smith, a lodging instructor in the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management, told the Orlando Sentinel.
When Orlando hotels manage such an average occupancy, it’s usually in February or March, two of the busiest months of the year for Central Florida tourism, the newspaper said.
Properties in the Orlando area logged an average occupancy rate of 80.6 percent — the first time the local market has topped 80 percent since March of 2008.
This year, the Orange County Convention Center hosted a number of large shows in March, including MegaCon, which was expected to draw 40,000 people; CTIA Wireless, with a projected head count of 39,000; and the Heli-Expo International, expected to draw more than 15,000 conventioneers.
The market’s overall improvement last month extended to all of its geographic segments, from downtown Orlando to Lake Buena Vista. It also involved all types of hotels, from luxury to budget.
Smith said it’s an indication that people are traveling again, even if they have not totally shaken the effects of the recession.
By David Wilkening
David
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