Archive of Weekly Lodging Stats & Analysis

Lodging Summary, week ending July 16

According to the Smith Travel Research (STR) report for the week of July 10-16, Lancaster saw decent increases in all key statistical metrics which were driven by demand and rate increases.

• Occupancy for the week increased 6.1% from 65% in 2010 to 71.2% while average daily rate (ADR) was up 2.4% to $99.21. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) was up 8.6% to $70.64.
• Room demand rose 5.9% (2,000 room nights) to roughly 36,000 room nights while revenue was up 8.5% or approximately $277,000.

Midweek room demand increased by 6.7% while ADR was up 1.0%, leading to a RevPAR increase of 7.9%.

Weekend performance was up as well versus last year. Weekend occupancy rose 6.7%, while ADR also showed a nice increase of 4.9% leading to overall RevPAR growth of 9.8%.

Lodging Summary, week ending July 9

According to the Smith Travel Research (STR) report for the week of July 3-9, Lancaster saw significant increases in most key statistical metrics which were driven by strong midweek demand and rate.

Occupancy for the week increased 4.8% from 61.3% in 2010 to 64.3% while average daily rate (ADR) was down 1.2% to $96.37. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) was up 3.7% to $61.93.

• Room demand rose 4.7% (1,441) to roughly 32,200 room nights while revenue was up 3.5% or approximately $105,000.
• Midweek room demand increased by 9.9% while ADR was up 2.4%, leading to a RevPAR increase of 12.7%.

Weekend performance actually declined versus last year. Weekend occupancy fell 4.2%, while ADR also decreased by 1.3% leading to an overall RevPAR decline of 5.4%.

Lodging Summary, week ending July 2

According to the Smith Travel Research (STR) report for the week of June 26–July 2, Lancaster saw significant increases in all key statistical metrics which were driven by strong holiday weekend demand and the large soccer tournament in town.

• Occupancy for the week increased 30.3% from 58.0% in 2010 to 75.6% while Average Daily Rate (ADR) was up 3.5% to $100.57. Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) was up 34.8% to $76.27.
• Room demand rose 30.1% (8,760) to roughly 37,900 room nights while revenue was up 34.5% or approximately $982,000.

Midweek room demand increased by 27.8%, while ADR was up 1.4%, leading to a RevPAR increase of 29.7%. Weekend room demand showed a slightly stronger performance with a gain of 34.4%, while ADR increased by 6.4%, leading to a RevPAR increase of 43.2%. Saturday night occupancy hit 97.1% while ADR was $112.00 the highest of the year so far.

Lodging Summary, week ending June 25

According to the Smith Travel Research (STR) report for the week of June 19 - 25, Lancaster saw increases in all key statistical metrics.

• Occupancy for the week increased 7.0% from 67.4% in 2010 to 72.0%, while Average Daily Rate (ADR) was flat at $97.44. Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) was up 7.3% to $70.20.
• Room demand rose 6.8% to roughly 36,100 room nights, while revenue was up 7.2% or approximately $235,000.

Midweek room demand increased by 5.8%, while ADR was virtually flat, leading to a RevPAR increase of 5.7%.

Weekend room demand showed a slightly stronger performance with a gain of 8.5%, while ADR increased by 1.1%. Saturday night occupancy hit 96.6%, the highest of the year so far.

Lodging Summary, week ending June 18

According to the Smith Travel Research (STR) report for the week of June 12-18, Lancaster saw declines in most key statistical metrics.

• Occupancy for the week fell 5.6% from 62.2% in 2010 to 58.7%, while Average Daily Rate (ADR) was flat at $93.15. Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) was down 5.7% to $54.66.
• Room demand decreased 5.7%, while revenue was down 5.8% or approximately $168,000.

Midweek numbers were hit the hardest with decreases in occupancy (7.1%), ADR (1.9%), and RevPAR (8.9%). There was a slight decrease in weekend demand of (2.8%), while ADR increased by 2.5% to $100.78.

Lodging Summary, week of Jun 5-11

According to the Smith Travel Research (STR) report for the week of June 5-11, Lancaster experienced a slight decline in all key statistical metrics.

• Occupancy for the week fell 1.3% from 56.2% in 2010 to 55.5%
• Average Daily Rate (ADR) decreased 1.3% to $91.22 from $92.39
• Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) was down 2.5% to $50.64
• Room demand decreased 1.3%
• Revenue was down 2.5% or approximately $66,000.

Midweek numbers were actually up for the week with modest gains in occupancy (3.8%), ADR (1.5%), and RevPAR (5.3%). Decreases in weekend demand (9.6%) and ADR (4.6%), drove overall weekly results down. The hardest hit day was Saturday where occupancy fell 13.2% and rate dropped 5.6%.

Lodging Summary, week ending June 4

According to the STR (Smith Travel Research) report for the week of May 29 – June 4, Lancaster experienced growth in all key statistical metrics with the exception of the Average Daily Rate (ADR).

• Occupancy for the week increased 6.2% from 50.9% in 2010 to 54.1%, while ADR decreased 1.9% to $91.40 from $93.17. Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) was up 4.2% to $49.42.
• Room demand increased 6.2% or 1,600 room nights, while revenue was up 4.2% or $100,000.

Memorial Day Weekend Results

• Occupancy = 80.3% (up 3.6% from 2010)
• ADR = $105.85 (up 2.1%)
• RevPAR = $84.99 (up 5.7%)
• Demand = 17, 266 (up 3.6%)
• Revenue = $1,827,548 (up 5.8%)

Lodging Summary, week ending May 7, 2011

For the week of May 1 - 7, Lancaster experienced growth in all key statistical metrics. 

• Occupancy for the week increased 7.5% from 45.3% in 2010 to 48.7%, while Average Daily Rate (ADR) increased slightly (0.7%) to $86.68 from $86.09. Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) was up 8.3% to $42.28.
• Room demand increased 6.8% or 1,563 room nights, while revenue was up 7.5% or $149,000.

Growth for the week was driven mostly by weekend demand. The chart below summarizes mid-week and weekend performance:

Lodging Summary, April 2011

For the month of April 2011, Lancaster County experience average growth in all statistical measures.

• Occupancy for the month increased 3.9%, from 52.8% this year. Year-to-date (YTD) occupancy is up 9.3% from 39% to 42.7%.
• The Average Daily Rate (ADR) increased by 1.7% from $85.75 to $87.17. YTD ADR is virtually flat at $82.05.
• With the combination of occupancy and ADR growth, Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) increased 5.6% to $47.81. YTD RevPAR is up 9.3% to $35.03.
• Room demand grew by almost 3,500 room nights or 2.9%. YTD demand is up 8.3% or almost 28,000 room nights.
• Room revenue increased 4.6% or almost $450,000 to roughly $10.3 million. YTD revenue is up over $2.3 million or 8.3%.

Weekend vs. Midweek Summary

The demand and revenue growth for April was mostly experienced during the week as mid-week demand increased 6.1% while weekend demand was virtually flat.

The chart below summarizes weekend vs. mid-week performance for April:

For the week of April 24-30, Lancaster experienced growth in most key statistical metrics with the exception of Average Daily Rate (ADR). 

• Occupancy for the week increased 12.8% from 50.2% in 2010 to 56.5%, while ADR fell slightly to $86.93 from $87.27; a 0.4% decline. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) was up 12.1% to $49.12.
• Room demand increased 11.2% or 2,869 room nights, while revenue was up 10.8% or $240,000.

Growth for the week was seen during the mid-week as well as over the weekend. The chart below summarizes mid-week and weekend performance.

Lodging Report Summary week ending April 23, 2011

For the week of April 17-23, Lancaster experienced declines in all key statistical metrics. This is partially due to when Easter fell last year, as weekend numbers were well off last year’s totals. When comparing Easter weekend from both years, 2011 showed improvements in all key metrics (see chart below). Midweek numbers were quite strong compared to last year.

• Occupancy for the week decreased 4.8% to 58.2% from 61.1%, while Average Daily Rate (ADR) fell to $84.17 from $86.68; a 2.9% decline. Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) was down 7.5% to $48.99.
• Room demand decreased by a little under 1,800 room nights or 5.7%, while revenue was down 5.1%.
• Midweek room demand was up 7.1%, while ADR was virtually flat, leading to RevPAR growth of 8.4%.

The following chart shows the Easter weekend comparison of 2011 & 2010.

For the Smith Travel Research Quarter 1 results, click here.

Lodging Report Summary week ending April 9, 2011

For the week of April 3-9, Lancaster experienced its second consecutive week of declines in Occupancy and Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) compared to the same week last year, while Average Daily Rate (ADR) posted a slight increase.

• Occupancy for the week decreased 6.6% to 45.0% from 48.1%, while ADR increased to $83.05 from $80.94; a 2.6%% gain. RevPAR was down 4.2% to $37.34.
• Room demand decreased by 1,836 room nights or 7.5%, while Revenue was down $101,075 or 5.1%.

I encourage you to peruse a recent presentation made by Vail Brown, VP of global sales and marketing with STR. It includes an overview of U.S. hotel performance; an examination of customer segmentation, major markets and chain scales; and a look at what the year ahead may hold. Also worth a read is an article on Revenue Management that advises readers to take a fresh look at their competition and plan accordingly.  

Lodging Report Summary week ending April 2, 2011

For the week of March 27 – April 2, Lancaster saw declines in Occupancy, Average Daily Rate (ADR) and Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) compared to the same week last year.

• Occupancy for the week decreased 10.4% to 41.6%, while ADR increased from $81.70 to $83.92; a 2.7% gain. RevPAR was down 7.9% to $34.89.
• Room demand decreased by 2,656 room nights or 11.3%, while Revenue was down $170,763 or 8.9%.
• Preliminary numbers for March indicate a decent Occupancy growth of 5.8% (44.9% from 42.5% in 2010), while ADR saw a slight decrease of 1.1% leading to RevPAR growth of 4.6%. Monthly Room Demand increased by a little more than 4,500 room nights, an increase of 4.7%, and Revenue increased by 3.6% to $8,102,307.

As we prepare for our summer season, this is an interesting article that should be encouraging. Here is another good article on the relationship of demand, rates and economic performance.  

Lodging Report Summary week ending March 26, 2011

For the week of March 20 - 26, Lancaster saw declines in Occupancy, ADR and RevPAR compared to the same week last year.

• Occupancy for the week fell 8.8% to 44.9%, while Average Daily Rate (ADR) fell to $80.09; a 4.4% decline. Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) was down 12.8% to $36.00.
• Room demand decreased by a little more than 2,500 room nights or 9.7%, while Revenue was down about $284,000 or 13.6%.
• Keep in mind that the American Quilter's Society show was a week early this year. In comparing the same weeks of the show, all key metrics were virtually identical. The chart below shows the comparison for each week.

Month to date numbers are fairly strong in Occupancy and RevPAR versus 2010. Occupancy is up 10.5%, while ADR is down 1.3%, leading to a 9.0% increase in RevPAR.

Room Demand is up 7,514 room nights or 9.4%, while Revenue is up $525,220; an increase of 8.0%  

Lodging Report Summary week ending March 5, 2011

For the week of Feb 27 – March 5, 2011 Lancaster saw significant growth in Occupancy and RevPAR compared to the same week last year.

• Occupancy for the week increased 23.9% to 40.6%, while Average Daily Rate (ADR) was slightly higher at $79.27; a 0.7% gain. Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) was up 24.8% to $32.15.
• Room demand increased by almost 3,800 room nights or 22.9%, while Revenue was up more than $309,000 or 23.8%.
• Preliminary numbers for February indicate a decent occupancy growth of 6.8% (36.3% from 34.0% in 2010), while ADR saw a slight increase of 2.7% leading to RevPAR growth of 9.7%.  

Lodging Report Summary week ending February 26, 2011

For the week of February 20 - 26, Lancaster saw significant growth in all statistical measures.

• Occupancy for the week increased 34.4% to 42.3%, while Average Daily Rate (ADR) jumped to $81.78, an 8.1% gain. Revenue per Available Room was up 45.2% to $34.62.
• Room demand increased by almost 5,500 room nights or 34.5%, while Revenue was up more than $540,000 or 45.3%.

Keep in mind that President's Day fell a week earlier last year. With that said, below are the statistics comparing the week of President's Day for 2011 and 2010:

Here's a good article on increasing your hotel's perceived value.  

Lodging Report Summary week ending February 5, 2011

For the week of January 30 – February 5, Lancaster saw modest growth in all statistical measures.

Occupancy for the week increased 3.5% to 30.4%, while Average Daily Rate (ADR) nudged slightly higher to $79.33, a 1.8% gain. Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) was up 5.4% to $24.10.

Room demand increased by almost 500 room nights or 3.2%, while Revenue was up more than $58,000 or 5.1%.

Preliminary numbers for January indicate a very strong occupancy growth of 17.8% (32.3% from 27.5% in 2010), while ADR saw a slight increase of 1.2% leading to RevPAR growth of 19.2%.

On a national scale, in year-over-year comparisons, occupancy increased 1.8 percent to 49.2 percent, average daily rate was up 2.2 percent to $97.48, and revenue per available room finished the week up 4.1 percent to $47.91.

Smith Travel Research just released its 2011 and 2012 forecast. Overall they are very optimistic!  

Lodging Report Summay week ending January 29, 2011

Lancaster County experienced increases in all key metrics for the week of January 23 – 29, 2011, according to data from STR. Occupancy rose 21% to 30.6%, average daily rate was up 0.2% to $78.04, and revenue per available room increased 21.3% to $23.87.

Month-to-date numbers also continue to improve. Through January 29, occupancy is up 19.1%, ADR is up 1.2%, and RevPar increased 20.5%. Overall room demand increased by a little more than 10,000 room nights, while room revenue has increased almost $860,000.

Click here to read a great article about "Holding firm on room pricing"  

Lodging Report Summary week ending January 22, 2011

The third week of January (16-22) saw continued growth in all key metrics for the lodging industry.

• Occupancy increased 16.6% over the same week last year to 37.2%. Month to date occupancy is 34.1% or an increase of 18.5% over 2010.
• For the first time since mid-November we saw an increase in Average Daily Rate of more than 3%. ADR increased 3.2% to $82.12. ADR increased each day the week ending 1/22, with the greatest increase being on Sunday night where rate went from $85.16 in 2010 to $89.91 this year – both years included the MLK Volleyball Tournament.
• Revenue per Available Room increased 20.3% for the week to $30.51 on a strong demand increase of 14.6% and a decent ADR increase mentioned above.
• Total revenue for the week increased 18.3% or $235,145. For the month revenue is up 18.2%.

Below are a couple interesting articles on rate and mobile trends:

• Following Two Years of Deep Discounting, U.S. Hotel Outlook Improving
  
• Ten Tips to Better Pricing for the Hotel Industry; Start Generating Profits and Growth Tomorrow Morning  
  

Lodging Report Summary week ending January 15, 2011

For the week of January 9-15, 2011 we saw occupancy post another strong gain over last year with an increase of 11.8% (from 34.7% in 2010 to 38.8%), with the greatest increase in rooms sold on Friday night.

• Average daily rate increased by about $.90 or 1.0%, leading to a revenue per available room increase of 13.0% to $32.27.
• Room demand increased by 9.9% or 1,750 room nights. Friday night saw the largest increase in rooms sold of 650 additional rooms nights.
• Overall, room revenue for the week increased a little more than $160,000 or 11.1%. Month-to-date revenue is up $453,000 or 19.1%.

Below are two good articles: one on hotel pricing and one on what consumers are looking for in a hotel.

• "The future of hotel pricing"
  
• "What consumers want most from a hotel in 2011"
  

Lodging Report Summary week ending January 8, 2011

The first week of January was very strong in most statistical measures with all criteria showing significant increases over last year, with the exception of ADR which remained flat.

• Occupancy for the week (January 2 – 8) increased 38.7% from 20.5% in 2010 to 28.4%, representing a demand increase of 3,774 room nights.
• Average Daily rate remained flat at $76.48 leading to a RevPar increase of 38.5%.
• Overall revenue was up $287,296 or 36.2%. A great way to start the new year!

For those of you who manage multiple distribution channels click here for an article that you may find helpful.  

Lodging Report Summary week ending January 1, 2011

For the last week of December (Dec 26 – Jan 1) we did not see the type of increases in occupancy, demand, and revenue as we have in the past several weeks when most statistical measures saw double digit increases. Occupancy rose 10.1% for the week, while rate declined 4.0% or $3.37 leading to a modest increase in RevPar of 5.7%. Overall room demand increased by 8.4% as we sold roughly 1,300 more rooms, while total room revenue increased $54,000 or 4.1%.

As we close out 2010, Lancaster County experienced a significant rebound in most statistical measures. While we are not back to 2007 levels in occupancy and RevPar, we are getting closer in demand and revenue. As a destination, we are working hard to exceed even our best years and look forward to a stronger 2011. The chart below summarizes the comparison for the last four years. The 2010 numbers will be revised once the monthly STR report comes out later this month.



Average rate continues to be a challenge for our destination as well as in many other regions on the country. Check out this interesting article on "Five Ways to Drive Rate over the Next 12 Months." As we move into 2011, we should see ADR start to increase as Smith Travel is predicting an increase of 3.4% to 4.4%.

Here is another interesting article on "11 Travel Trends for 2011."

Lodging Report Summary, week ending 2010-12-14

Note: The information below is based on reports we subscribe to from Smith Travel Research (STR). While these results are specific to the 70-75 responding hotels, and do not include comparable statistics for Lancaster County's large B&B community, we do believe that this is an excellent source of information for assessing the health and movement of our industry as a whole.

For the month of November we experienced another strong month in Occupancy and RevPar (revenue per available room) as it relates to last year. Occupancy rose 12.4% to 46.8% in 2010 while RevPar increased 12.8% from $35.54 to $40.07. RevPar increased as a direct result of demand increases as ADR (average daily rate) increased only slightly at 0.3% to $85.68.

Rate continues to be lagging behind demand as increases. For example, garnering an additional $1.00 in ADR would provide individual properties an additional $1,293,000 in room revenue. According to industry experts, we should begin to examine increases in ADR for the coming months and in an effort to shift focus from price to value.

We continue to see demand increases in the double digits as November demand increased 10.6% from 91,135 to 100,755 compared to 2009. Lancaster has seen double digit increase in demand for 7 out of the last 11 months.

While 2009 was the worst year on record for our destination, the trend of increased demand is encouraging as we are anticipating this trend to continue.

Based on forecasts from Smith Travel Research, demand is expected to continue to increase albeit at a much slower pace. Click here to see STR’s updated forecast for 2011.

Also available for your perusal is a PowerPoint presentation made to the PA Dutch CVB Board at their meeting last week, which includes some additional STR reports.