Occupancy at Park City area hotels was down 33% in May compared to the year prior, according to the Park City Chamber of Commerce.
Despite those declines, hotel prices are nearing all-time highs. In May, the average daily rate for a hotel room in Park City was around $300, up 6% compared to 2022.
Park City Chamber CEO Jennifer Wesselhoff said she’s concerned those high prices may not be sustainable.
“We receive a lot of data and research analysis on the American traveler, and what concerns they have related to travel,” Wesselhoff said. “Believe it or not, 12% of American travelers are still being impacted by Covid and concerns about Covid. But also, looking at the American traveler, the survey is now starting to ask about sticker shock, the costs of flights, the cost of airfare, and how is that impacting our decisions to travel.”
Ski Area Management recently reported that guests are pushing back against expensive lodging rates in mountain destinations throughout the West.
Wesselhoff noted that open borders for international travel are also adding to the competition.
“I also think that it’s a curse of a really wonderful, solid, epic, record ski season,” she said. “We’re just getting a little bit of a slower start to the summer season.”
Looking at hotel reservations for the rest of this year, June is down nearly 10%, whereas July has decreased about 7% compared to 2022.
On the contrary, Wesselhoff said the chamber is seeing booking increases in August, September, and October. Reservations for October are currently up 19% compared to last year, which she partially credited to corporate retreats and other group sales.
