NORTH AMERICA Hotels in Atlantic City and Toronto have seen hotel rates spike this month, according to data from discount online travel agency Hotwire.com.
Charleston, South Carolina, is the North America market that had the biggest year-over-year gain in hotel price on Hotwire in November. Charleston hotel nights are 32% more expensive than a year ago, driven by average occupancy rising to 65.65 from 58.8%.
Atlantic City hotels increased rates 24% during the month, primarily driven by 4-star hotels, which are seeing demand come back considerably. Niagara Falls is the third biggest gainer in November, up 24%. Toronto rates improved 23%, helped by strong convention and events business and a recent visit by the Dalai Lama. Miami rounds out the top five, up 16%, due to more convention business and a number of big events in town.
Syracuse, New York, had the biggest hotel price drop in November, falling 11%, mainly due to new properties in the area that offering discounted rates. Colorado Springs, Colorado, rates dropped 9%, followed by Reno, Nevada (down 7%). Omaha, Nebraska, hotel prices fell 6%, while Richmond, Virginia, was down 4%.
The Hotwire Hotel Rate Report uses data collected during the second week of each month. Results are calculated by looking at Hotwire stay dates for select regions in the current month, and comparing prices in the current month against Hotwire prices in the same month in the prior year. Prices are compared within the same star rating categories for consistency, and the percent change in price for each region is generated as an overall average of the changes in those categories.