NEW: Providence Hotels Outperform National Average For 2012
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Hotel occupancy in Providence was up for 2012 and beat out the national average, the regional average, and the city's own 2011 numbers.
Occupancy for Providence hotels in 2012 averaged 67.6 percent, a 4.3 percent gain over 2011’s 64.9 percent and well above the average for both the U.S. (61.4 percent) and for all of New England (61.6 percent). The largest gains were in the Average Daily Rate. ADR for 2012 was $137.36, a 5.7 percent increase over the 2011 ADR, which was $129.94. Nationally, ADR for 2012 was $106.10, with ADR for New England at $126.80.
AHL All-Stars the latest success
“Our successful efforts to attract large conventions and events like this week’s Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic are bringing more visitors to Providence and helping grow our local economy,” said Mayor Angel Taveras. “Providence has so much to offer, and we will continue working closely with the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau to promote and market our Creative Capital.”
The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau (PWCVB) attributes the strong numbers to several factors, including a solid year for meeting, convention and sporting event bookings and attendance, as well as the continued development of event-based programming by the City of Providence and other local organizations.
“We’re very pleased with the numbers for 2012 and very optimistic about 2013,” said PWCVB President & CEO Martha Sheridan. “We had some large groups in last year, like Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which brought more than 2,500 delegates to the area for its regional conference in April, and the International Association for Food Protection 2012 Annual Meeting, which consumed 2,470 hotel room nights in July.”
Most popular days, biggest draws
In tracking occupancy, the PWCVB also notes that Saturday is the most popular day of the week for an overnight stay, which points to the strength of leisure travel. WaterFire continues to be a top draw and the city’s growing national reputation as a top culinary destination has also bolstered Providence’s visibility.
“Promoting Providence as a great weekend getaway has been a collaborative effort. The City of Providence has augmented and enhanced their cultural offerings in recent years, including introducing new programming in Kennedy Plaza and developing a wonderful Fourth of July celebration. The PWCVB has also focused on marketing Providence as a top culinary destination, creating Providence Restaurant Weeks and promoting local chefs to the national media,” said Sheridan, noting that the city was recently ranked the #1 Food Destination in the U.S. by the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine in their “America’s Favorite Cities” poll.
Biggest months for occupancy
Two months in 2012 – June and October – topped 80 percent occupancy, a height not reached since 2004. Both were strong meeting and convention months. June featured Netroots Nation, a conference of progressive bloggers and political figures; IEEE Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Conference; and the 2012 Hearing Loss Association of America Annual Convention. The three conferences accounted for 5,549 hotel room nights. Highlights for October included the University Risk Management and Insurance Association and the American Physical Society, whose conference fell over Hurricane Sandy. The two events combined for 7,278 room nights. October also featured two popular events: the Jack O’Lantern Spectacular at the Roger Williams Park Zoo and the Flames of Hope WaterFire.
The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau is an accredited, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization whose mission is to create vibrant growth for the local hospitality economy by promoting, developing, and expanding a united visitor industry. For more information, contact 401-456-0200 or visit www.pwcvb.com.
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