December bookings at western mountain destinations have been pacing down since August, but with widespread snowfall and strategic rate management the month has since turned into “a winner.”
The assessment comes from the latest DestiMetrics market briefing released by Inntopia, a company that tracks data on lodging properties for mountain destinations across the western U.S.
As of Dec. 31, bookings made in December for same-month arrivals soared 50.9 percent in a year-over-year comparison, according to the company, which explained the bookings were aided by a decline in the average daily rate, as lodging properties worked to increase bookings for a month that had previously been trending down.
“In last month’s briefing, we were looking at December’s occupancy with some concern as the timing of Christmas and school holidays was presenting challenges,” said Tom Foley, senior vice president of Business Operations and Analytics for Inntopia. “Lodging properties responded to the situation by adjusting rates to attract consumers and when Mother Nature delivered widespread and significant snowfall in most regions, December occupancy rebounded nicely.”
