Hotel stays, vital to Prince William pandemic recovery, are down
Image: Prince William County Government
The coronavirus pandemic continues to hurt the hotel industry in Prince William County.
The county’s hotel occupancy spiked a bit in October but has fallen into a slump, exasperated by the lack of traveling this holiday season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Prince William County Economic Development Authority, hotel stays increased slightly in October 2020 as occupancy rates averaged 54.3%, up from 53% in the previous month. Over the holidays, however, hotel traffic slowed down. According to the same report from the Economic Development office, transient occupancy tax collections — a tax paid by hotel guests — are down nearly $300,000 in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the last quarter.