S. Florida’s rising hotel occupancy slows in May

Industry still improving, officials say

“While we hit yet another recordbreaking month in May, our occupancy reflects the absence of a couple of major conferences and sports activities.” Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau

The spurt in hotel occupancy may be tapering off across South Florida, but tourism officials say the industry is still showing signs of improvement.

In May, Broward County hotels were 74.7 percent full — the same occupancy they had in May 2014, according to data released Tuesday by industry tracker STR Inc.

However, Broward’s average daily room rate increased in May, rising to $118.35 from $114.13 a year ago. (Rising room rates are considered an indicator of the industry’s health.)

“While we hit yet another record-breaking month in May, our occupancy reflects the absence of a couple of major conferences and sports activities,” said Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Our leisure business held up well and we had one of the highest occupancies in the state for May. Bring on summer!”

In Palm Beach County, hotel occupancy fell slightly in May to 69 percent, from 69.3 percent in the same month last year. Here, the shortfall in occupancy was attributed largely to the increase in hotel room inventory in the destination.

“With the [accommodations] pie bigger overall, occupancy becomes a bigger challenge. There’s more room in the inn, so to speak,” said Jorge Pesquera, president of Discover The Palm Beaches, the county’s official tourism marketer.

The county’s average daily rate climbed to $139.32 from $131.19, STR data showed.

That 6.2 percent increase in room rates from a year ago and a 9.6 percent uptick in total room revenue are indicators of continued strength in county tourism, he said. “All in all it’s not a bad story.”

In Miami-Dade County, hotel occupancy in May dropped to 76.5 percent from 78.4 percent last year. The average daily hotel rate rose to $177.08 from $169.28.