As expected with the Rosh Hashanah holiday, U.S. hotel performance dropped from the previous week and showed mixed comparisons with 2019, according to STR‘s latest data through 1 October.
With average daily room rates at hotels in North America now averaging nearly $150 roughly 15% higher than pre-pandemic levels,1 hotel guests have become more critical than ever of the décor, amenities and food and beverage options provided by the world’s largest third-party hotel management companies. According to the J.D. Power 2022 North America Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark,SM released today, customer satisfaction declines 4 points (on a 1,000-point scale) this year, as higher prices drive increased scrutiny.
“I’ll be home for Christmas” rang true this year in the U.S. as Christmas Day hotel occupancy (47.3%) was the highest ever recorded by STR. The previous Christmas peak was reached in 2015 (47.0%). The remainder of the holidays were strong as well, but not record-setting in terms of occupancy.
The U.S. hotel industry saw its largest week-over-week demand gain since early October with 704,000 more room nights sold for the week ending 13 November 2021. Weekly demand has increased in 21 of the past 33 weeks and the most recent week’s gain was the 10th largest in that span.