A new survey shows hotels are the top lodging choice for holiday travelers this December. Experts are expecting this will be a major boost for the hospitality industry, including in Washington.
The number of holiday travelers who plan to stay in hotels have increased this year, according to the survey from the American Hotel And Lodging Association.
“Americans are ready to get back and travel, and they’ve really been doing so all throughout spring and summer so we anticipated during the holiday travel season things would be back to normal,” said AHLA president, Chip Rogers.
Twenty-eight percent of 4,000 survey participants said they’ll stay in a hotel this December. In addition, hotels are the top lodging for those traveling for leisure, which is a dramatic shift from people booking other lodging accommodations like AirBnB.
“Especially with the safety measures that have been put in place by the hotel industry," Rogers continued. "People have moved back to staying in hotels even at a higher percentage than before the pandemic.”
Rogers said this is a sign of hope for the future of the hospitality industry as a whole.
“It was a very rough period for 2022 and 2021," said Rogers. "Knowing that 2022 is back to normal and that the future looks brighter, that is very encouraging for our industry.”
Things are looking bright in Washington too. The AHLA said although they were behind the rest of the country in lifting restrictions, they’re seeing a quick boost in revenue here. Hotel revenue is up 92% in Seattle, and 107% in Bellevue, according to finance company Kidder.
“If you look at Seattle today and what's happening with travel, people from around the world visiting Seattle is much different than six to nine months ago, and it's better than six to nine months ago,” Rogers said.
If you plan to book a hotel for your holiday vacation, Rogers advises that people book directly with the hotel company.
The survey also found that concerns about COVID-19 are fading among travelers but are being replaced by economic challenges like inflation and high gas prices.