Jeremy Wallace/The Aspen Times |
The lodging industry of Aspen and Snowmass Village was slightly off last year’s record pace for occupancy in January, according to a report released Thursday.
The town resorts combined produced 75.7% occupancy, according to Stay Aspen Snowmass, a central bookings agency owned and operated by Aspen Skiing Co. That was down 1.8% from January 2019.
“Aspen was virtually flat to last January’s record occupancy achieving 75.6%,” the report said. “Snowmass beat Aspen ever so slightly achieving 75.8%, which was down 3.8% for last year’s record performance. This January was Aspen’s second best and Snowmass’ third best on record.”
The strong performance was due, in large part, to Gay Ski Week and X Games. Business from some international markets also was strong.
“Australian travel was just shy of last year’s numbers, which is not surprising considering currency headwinds and the tragic fires raging throughout the country.”
Looking ahead, February is pacing ahead of last year for reservations on the books as of Jan. 31, the report said. Aspen is pacing 4.2% ahead of last year while Snowmass is up 1.5%.
For the winter as a whole, Aspen and Snowmass are currently on pace to match last year’s record performance, the report said. However, that could change. The mid-point of the Aspen Snowmass ski season was passed last week.