Weekly U.S Hotel Occupancy at Highest Level Since 2019

August 2, 2021

New data shows that hotel occupancy at U.S. hotels and resorts is on the increase.

Hotel industry data analysis company STR has found that U.S. weekly hotel occupancy reached its highest level since October 2019.

In its report for the week of July 11-17, 2021, STR’s latest data showed that hotel occupancy at U.S. hotels and resorts was 71 percent, down just -8.7 percent from the comparable week in 2019.

The average daily rate (ADR) was $139.19, up 1.8 percent, while revenue per available room (RevPAR) was $98.87, down 7.1 percent from 2019. Despite a four-point week-over-week improvement in occupancy, the ADR had dipped slightly from the previous week’s data of $139.84, which was up 5.4 percent from 2019 and the highest on record.

STR analysts noted that hoteliers are taking advantage of pent-up leisure demand and higher spending travelers, while trying to mitigate staffing shortages and rising operational costs in some regions.

Among the top 25 markets, New Orleans saw the highest hotel occupancy increase over 2019, improving 5.8 percent to 59.5 percent; while San Fransisco/San Mateo saw the steepest decline in hotel occupancy, dropping 36.6 percent from 2019 to 56.3 percent occupancy.

Miami reported the largest ADR increase over its 2019 numbers, up 32.4 percent to $208.13; while Tampa reported the highest RevPAR up 29.2 percent to $119.54.

The most significant decreases in RevPAR were in San Fransisco/San Mateo, down 55.6 percent to $94.29, and in Boston, down 47.9 percent to $102.05.

STR’s hotel performance sample comprises 68,000 properties and 9.1 million rooms around the globe. The hotel data analysis company will host its 2021 Hotel Data Conference in Nashville on Aug. 11-13, 2021, with both in-person and virtual attendance options available. The conference is STR’s 13th annual event and will focus on industry recovery.