SA Express-News: Despite Slow July 4th, SA Hotels Having Strong Year

The San Antonio Express-News reports that while the city’s hotels saw a slow July 4th weekend, they are seeing a strong start to 2017.

In the article “San Antonio hotels see slow Fourth of July weekend but visitors still coming“, Express-News reporter Joshua Fechter presents an overview of Summer holiday travel in the Alamo City, interviewing visitors and hoteliers alike.

More than 3.2 million Texans were projected to travel more than 50 miles during the Fourth of July weekend, according to an AAA Texas estimate.

But the holiday itself fell on a Tuesday, leaving local hotels with many empty rooms, said Bill Petrella, board chairman of the San Antonio Hotel and Lodging Association. Bookings were “slower than normal” this weekend because conventions and business travel did not make up for the holiday’s odd timing, Petrella said, leaving hotels to cut room rates in an attempt to compete more aggressively for leisure guests.

Fecter also spoke with Source Strategies Senior Vice President Paul Vaughn for some additional perspective:

Despite a downturn during the Fourth of July weekend, area hotels have otherwise had a strong year, said Paul Vaughn, senior vice president of San Antonio-based Source Strategies which monitors the hospitality industry. Room occupancy in San Antonio ticked up 1.6 percent during the five months of this year while room rates and revenue per available room rose 4.8 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively, Vaughn said.

The article also noted the holiday’s impact on Alamo tourism:

The Fourth of July weekend is typically the Alamo’s busiest each year, said Becky Dinnin, executive director of the Alamo Endowment. About 181,000 visitors stepped through the Alamo church’s doors in June, Dinnin said, a significant uptick from the 127,000 visitors who flocked to the Texas Revolution monument in June 2016.

You can read the entire article over at MySanAntonio.com.