SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Feb. 16, 2026—While severely dry conditions and warm temperatures took a serious toll on mountain lodging properties in Colorado and Utah, the better snowfall in the “rest of the West”—California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana—kept results on the upswing, according to DestiMetrics-participating properties in 17 mountain communities across the seven states.

According to the most recent Market Briefing issued by Inntopia, persistently warm and near historically dry conditions across much of Colorado and Utah (CO/UT) created significant booking challenges for destinations there, while improved conditions in January among the rest of the states (RoW) lured skiers and visitors. For the seven states combined, seasonal occupancy dropped, daily rates softened (but remained ahead of last season), and revenues dipped.

Tom Foley, director of business intelligence for Inntopia, noted that actual occupancy for January across the entire region was down 3 percent, and the average daily rate (ADR) crept up 0.9 percent. Revenues for the month finished down 2.1 percent.

As of Jan. 31, the full winter season across the West continued to soften. Occupancy in-the-bank and on-the-books for November through April was down 4.6 percent compared to last year, while the ADR moved up 2.9 percent; gains in RoW helped offset declines in UT/CO.

Differences in overall seasonal performance were profound between the two regions. Winter occupancy for CO/UT was down 6.7 percent compared to last winter, while RoW endured a slight 0.5 percent decline. Rates in CO/UT were up a slight 1 percent, well below the 11 percent rate gain for the RoW. The revenue results were similarly dramatic: down 5.7 percent in CO/UT, up 10.4 percent in the RoW.

“Snow is the story,” commented Foley. The amount of open terrain increased considerably just about everywhere in the participating regions, “but it is important to note that open terrain doesn’t take into account the quality of coverage, crowding, and difficulty level, so the on-slope experience may be qualitatively different" than the data might suggest, he noted.

Occupancy and demand booking pace were essentially unchanged for the full western region in January (down 5.7 percent) compared to December (down 5.8 percent), but there were some stark differences. For one, a different pattern emerged. Reservations made in January were either for very short-lead—arrival in January—or much further out—for May or June. 

Regional differences were striking, too. CO/UT saw a 22.7 percent decline in occupancy pace for the upcoming six months (February through July), a dramatic plunge from the 2.6 percent decline recorded in December for arrivals in January through June. The RoW enjoyed a strong 21 percent gain in pace for the coming six months, a remarkable improvement from the 7.3 percent decline in December. 

For the remainder of the winter season (bookings for arrivals from January through April), the declines are even steeper for CO/UT—down 27.8 percent for January arrivals and 31.2 percent for March arrivals. Meanwhile, the pace for RoW was sharply improved, with arrivals for January up a whopping 52.8 percent. February was posting an impressive 24 percent increase year-over-year, with March up 6.1 percent and April 7.7 percent. For the seven states combined, occupancy dropped 12.8 percent, and ADR was down 4.2 percent. This resulted in an aggregated 16.8 percent decline in revenue booked during January. 

International visits remained dramatically down, with overall bookings from international markets off 34 percent, compared to last month’s 33.4 percent decline. The month saw deepening declines from Western Europe, a smaller increase from Mexico (up 13.6 compared to last year) and continued abstinence from Canada, down 40.8 percent from last season (yet 0.7 percent better than a month earlier).

Economy properties did better than higher-priced ones during January. “A poor snow season may actually help economy properties versus their pricier competition,” said Foley, perhaps because visitors are reluctant to pay a lot for poor conditions, or because advanced skiers and riders stayed home while their preferred terrain remained closed.

The ADR for economy properties (up to $400/night) were up 0.8 percent while occupancy dipped 4.2 percent. Moderate properties ($401 to $750/night) eased rates 0.5 percentage points but occupancy dropped 7 percent. Luxury properties (more than $750/night) increased daily rates 2.9 percent but posted a 4.9 percent decline in occupancy. 

Overall, Foley said, “Western mountain resorts are showing some resilience. Other than Colorado and Utah, rate gains are the strongest we’ve recorded since 2023, and even in Utah and Colorado, they have managed to remain up slightly."