SAM Magazine—Denver, Oct. 17, 2016—The month of September continued the strong gains in aggregated occupancy and revenue that western mountain lodging destinations have seen all summer. Actual occupancy for the month was up 10.4 percent and revenues jumped 19.6 percent as of Sept. 30, according to the most recent report by DestiMetrics. This has been the story all summer, with aggregated occupancy for the season up 6.5 percent and revenues up 14 percent, including on-the-books figures for October.

“Now that summer lodging activity is approaching the finish line with just a few weeks to go, a fifth consecutive summer record is assured,” reported Ralf Garrison, director of DestiMetrics. “We'll tally the final numbers at the end of October and now turn our attention to winter. With about 42 percent of winter nights and 45 percent of revenue already in, a positive early picture is starting to emerge,” he added.

As of Sept. 30, reservations for the upcoming winter through March 2017 are up 8.9 percent compared to this same time last year, with gains in all five months for which data are currently available. Revenues are up 11 percent for the same period.

Garrison attributed the strong summer results to the successful steps mountain destinations have taken to grow and develop their summer products, turning themselves into true year-round destinations with a broader economic base. “The new paradigm is more about managing and mitigating the peak season business and marketing to the shoulder seasons where comfortable capacity still exists,” he concluded.

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