SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo. Aug. 14, 2026—Although occupancy, daily rates, and revenue were almost unchanged from June at western mountain destinations during July, the booking pace during July for arrivals from July through December was up 3.1 percent as customers opted for lower-priced months and properties. Results for the full summer remain strong and steady, according to the most recent monthly Market Briefing from DestiMetrics, released by Inntopia, with data compiled from 17 mountain destinations across seven western states through July 31. 

Early strength for December played a role in the booking pace uptick thanks to early ski season lodging offers that were below last season’s rates in some cases. However, new tariff threats dampened bookings and increased cancellations from Canada.

July was good, not great. Occupancy for the month of July was up 1.8 percent year-over-year compared to July 2025, while the average daily rate (ADR) was up a solid 6 percent leading to a 7.9 percent gain in monthly revenue. The 4th of July weekend gets most of the credit for the small occupancy gain with a strong visitation performance while much of the rest of the month was essentially flat. 

Summer edges up. As of July 31, full summer occupancy from May through October is up 2.7 percent with improvement in all six months, led by a 7.4 percent gain for the month of September. Summertime ADR captured a solid 5.7 percent gain, also with increases in all six months. Combined, summer revenues were up 8.6 percent.

“Thankfully there’s not much drama this month, and that’s good news for fans of strength and stability,” reported Tom Foley, director of Business Intelligence for Inntopia. “Last month’s moderate occupancy gains, strong rates, and healthy revenue held steady this month, giving suppliers a little breathing room as they recover from lost ground last winter.” 

The 3.1 percent year-over-year increase in bookings made in July for arrivals between July 1 and Dec. 31 marks the second consecutive gain in booking pace and the third uptick in the past four months, “which is a welcome reversal from a consistently negative pace last winter,” added Foley. 

International bookings cool off. Earlier this summer, bookings from Canadian visitors were building until a fresh round of tariff threats in July put the brakes on that recovery. While May, June, and early July bookings were starting to outpace 2025, the tariff announcements prompted Canadian consumers to pull back sharply on new bookings and cancellations for travel to U.S. mountain destinations spiked. Still, because of the huge volume of Canadian visits, Canadian bookings were up 16.6 percent compared to last summer (down from 20.1 percent at the beginning of July), Mexican bookings were down 23.9 percent, Western Europe was down 9.3 percent, and Oceania was down 15.6 percent. All four markets have declined in the last month.

Booking Lead Times—the time between the date a booking is made and the arrival date—continues to extend quite a bit further than any time in the past. The lead-time for bookings made during July was for 51.1 days in advance, about six days longer than last year and 18 days longer than in 2019. Foley said lead times have been up since January when consumers started deferring winter bookings to the summer months due to low snow. “Now, higher summer prices are driving some consumers into the more attractively priced fall months” and other consumers are taking advantage of discounted early winter pricing being offered by many mountain destinations aimed at battling the “hangover” after a low snow year, he said. 

“From a performance perspective, this is shaping up to be an excellent summer, both compared to last year and overall, and better than expected given the extreme lack of precipitation for much of the past year and the challenges posed by some big wildfires and smoky conditions,” said Foley. “But there are clues in the data that reveal that the reliable, high-end consumer is also feeling the economic pinch as evidenced by weaker bookings in the pricier month of July while the more affordably priced months of September and October posted healthy increases.”

December’s booking boost, likely attributed to significantly lower daily rates for the early ski season, is something Foley will be “watching closely to see if these trends continue since they could have a significant impact on the upcoming winter season,” he concluded.