Report: Hotel Performance Improved Over Labor Day

SAN FRANCISCO—The latest edition of Duetto’s Pulse Report, which tracks key hotel business metrics from August 24-September 6, shows significant increases in performance for the hotel markets of North America, boosted by the Labor Day holiday weekend.

This is the first true boost to hotel performance since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold and is a breath of fresh air for what have been highly restricted markets, which will continue to wax and wane in the months ahead, according to the company.

“People’s determination to travel is resilient,” said David Woolenberg, CEO, Duetto. “Our data shows us, from hotels across the nation, people are willing to spend longer hours in the car than ever before to arrive at a destination of leisure. One surprise over the holiday weekend was an increase in travel across the great state of Tennessee. While bookings in Nashville were down, people were enjoying the rest of the state. It’s a great example of people opting for more remote locations, as opposed to urban.”

Overall trends in North American hotel bookings over Labor Day, in comparison with the prior 14 weeks, show:

  • Traditional drive-to markets saw positive increases in new bookings, as well as an increase in demand, which indicates Americans’ drive radius has increased in search of leisure. For example, Colorado saw a 432% increase; Tennessee (if you take out Nashville) saw a 439% increase; Louisiana saw a 590% increase; Nevada saw a 272% increase; California increased 283%; and Florida increased 189%.
  • Remote and rural locations are often being favored over urban destinations. (Colorado, Tennessee, Nevada)
  • Travelers are willing to drive further distances in lieu of air travel. (Louisiana, California)
  • New York City saw its largest uptick in net new bookings, up 318%, over the prior 14 weeks. Although well below 2019 numbers, these numbers show a positive response to some restrictions lifting and lowered COVID-19 rates.