Davis County did well in hotel stays

LAYTON (Davis County Clipper) — Considering the economic downturn, Davis County hotels did “really well” in drawing visitors.

That’s the assessment of Davis County Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO Barbara Riddle, referring to last year’s hotel stay statistics.

She used data recently released in the Rocky Mountain Lodging Report for 2009, where hotel occupancy averaged 61.5 percent.

While down 6.9 percent from 2008, it was still above the state average of 75 percent, and an even bigger drop of 6.7 percent compared to the year previous.

For 2009, July showed the best occupancy figures, at 77 percent, compared to 80.5 the previous July. June was next highest, at 75.8 percent, which actually was up by nearly 1 percent over 2008.

August, meanwhile, at 74.5 percent last year, was down by nearly 13 percent from 2008.

Some “staying power” to hotel stays in Davis County originates with such attractions as Antelope Island, which saw an increase in visitors, particularly international. In addition, Hill AFB, with its constant stream of visitors for meetings, provides a steady flow of business.

“That’s where location, location, location has really paid off,” Riddle said.

Other areas of the state saw a steeper decline than Davis County. Utah County, for example, dropped by 7.2 percent, and Salt Lake City 7.4 percent. Ogden, however, dipped by only 2 percent.
 

Original Article