Western Visits in March Were Strong, Not Great

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SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, April 16, 2024—Expectations for a gangbuster finish to the ski season didn’t quite materialize in March, according to the Monthly Briefing from DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of Inntopia. DestimetricsHNWeb While March benefited from ample snowfall, the momentum didn't carry into April. The combination of the snow and an early Easter holiday compressed a lot of visits into March, which improved the season metrics only slightly.

The Briefing, based on lodging reservation data representing approximately 28,000 lodging units in 17 mountain destination communities across Colorado, Utah, California, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, also shows summer visitation is shaping up similarly to 2023.

March occupancy was down 0.3 percent compared to last year, while the average daily rate (ADR) moved up 4.5 percent, as lodging properties banked a 4 percent increase in aggregated revenues for March—the only positive month for the season.

“What appeared to be a strong turnaround for the season at the end of February didn’t have quite the momentum to carry through to March,” observed Tom Foley, senior vice president for business intelligence at Inntopia. Nonetheless, he added, "While it sounds a bit discouraging, the season will actually finish much stronger than expected or feared last fall."

For the winter season, occupancy from November through April was down 3.7 percent compared to last year. ADR rose 2.4 percent.

Summer outlook. Data for May through September reveals that occupancy is up 1 percent compared to last summer as of March 31, with gains currently being reported in May, July, and September. Daily rates for the summer are up a modest 2.4 percent. Combined, these data points amount to a seasonal increase in revenue of 3.5 percent.

“When we look at the summer season as of March 31, we see stable numbers that represent manageable business conditions,” said Foley. "Frankly, it is what the industry needs—a breather from chaos and a chance to operate amid textbook conditions that can be managed without a slide-rule.”