Looking for a cheap hotel? No problem. According to recent data, hotel rates have fallen dramatically across the country, making hotel room options much more appealing to travelers.
Nationwide hotel occupancy fell 10.7 percent in January 2009. At the same time, average daily rates for hotel rooms tumbled by 5.2 percent, according to travel data firm Smith Travel Research (STR).
“The U.S. lodging industry results in January continued to reflect the deteriorating economic conditions throughout the country,” says Mark Lamanno, STR’s president.
The implication for travelers: room rates in some places are a comparative bargain compared to years’ past.
Take New York hotels, for instance. STR says the average daily New York hotel room rate fell 13.1 percent, to $199.05. In Phoenix, the average daily hotel room rate plummeted 12.3 percent, to $133.52. Deals in Detroit should be easier to come by too, where the average daily hotel room rate dropped 11.9 percent, to $87.22.
Average daily rates for January actually rose in a couple of Top 25 hotel markets: Washington, D.C. hotels went up 25.8 percent to $181.75; hotels in Tampa – St. Petersburg were up 9.5 percent, to $126.23.
Industry analysts say the spike in Washington D.C. hotels rates were strongly affected by the presidential inauguration, and the Tampa hotel rates rose thanks to the influx of annual snowbirds from colder climes.
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
