The top performing U.S. hotel markets in this monthly “bubble” chart update largely reflect late-summer seasonal patterns along with continued strong leisure travel. For the four weeks ending 13 August, the leading U.S. markets showed a clear geographical orientation toward more temperate and/or outdoor climes found in the coastal corners of the nation. Likewise, and similarly not unexpected for the season, a range of markets mostly in the uncomfortably hot south/southwest U.S. saw lower percentages of rooms filled.
Leisure travel continues to be particularly strong in the U.S. as spring kicks into gear, and the biggest hotel performance wins recently have come in those U.S. markets that are traditional Spring Break destinations. At the same time, major urban centers are seeing some return of transient business demand along with increases in group bookings.