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Hotel Occupancy Jumps to Four-Year High
A full month of “March Madness” events, which included South by Southwest, UIL state basketball play-offs and the NCAA Basketball Regional Championships, pushed Austin’s hotel occupancy rate to almost 72 percent for the month, a 15 percent increase over hotel occupancy last March. Area hotels have not experienced such a brisk month of business since May 2001.
In the first three months of 2005 the city’s overall occupancy rate reached 63.6 percent, more than a 15 percent jump year-to-date over the same period from last year. The average citywide room rate hit $83.53 in March, up 7.5 percent from last year, while rooms in downtown hotels averaged $116 a night.
During the first quarter of the year, the city also hosted several large national and statewide conventions, including the Commodity Classic, Texas Computer Education Association and Texas Association of School Administrators, which altogether drew more than 16,000 attendees.
In comparison to other major Texas cities, as well as 10 cities around the country of similar market size, Austin experienced the biggest jump in hotel occupancy for March. The Capital City led Houston (63.2%), Fort Worth (63.6%) and Dallas (59.1%), and trailed slightly behind San Antonio (75%). Among national competitors, traditional winter destinations such as Phoenix, Orlando and Tampa all enjoyed 87 percent occupancy in March, while Nashville had 63.5 percent. However, Austin had a greater gap to fill as the city posted one of the lowest occupancy rates in the state last year. Austin finished 2004 with just over 58 percent occupancy and hovered around 57 percent in 2003.
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Noteworthy Read More
 Tourism Impact Noted
ACVB Heads to Conferences
Chambers Meet to Discuss Multicultural Conventions
Annie Leibovitz Photography Exhibit at AMOA
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50 Best Places to Live
Men’s Journal
(April 2005)
“35 and Best Nightlife: Sure, New Orleans and Vegas are great places for going on a bender, but who wants to live there? Austin, though, wins on both counts. On any given night in this self-proclaimed “Live Music Capital of the World” there are dozens of great blues, funk, indie-rock, or Texas Country shows to choose from. And it’s all affordable: There’s no state income tax, and the cost of living matches the national average. Dell and a few semiconductor firms employ tens of thousands, and the highly educated workforce (thanks to the University of Texas) makes Austin a haven for entrepreneurs. The cherry on top: Town Lake, encircled by hike-and-bike trails, lies smack in the heart of the city.”
ELLE Fashion Reporter Road Trip: Austin
Elle
(May 2005)
“This may be one of the best cities for vintage shopping, but the town also boasts a burgeoning community of young designers.”
‘Secret’ is Out: There’s More to Texas Capital Than Live Music
Lansing State Journal
(March 23, 2005)
“Some people insist Austin is in Texas. Map makers say that. So do history books. They say Austin—where Michigan State University basketball fans will be this weekend—has been the home of oil barons, Dell Computer millionaires and George W. Bush, when he was governor. It’s cowboy country. Still, people who live there say it’s a world unto itself.”
Read more Austin in the Media
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