The chamber only has data through the end of October right now, but that data showed November’s hotel and lodging reservations were down.
Compared to 2022, area hotels had 9% fewer November reservations by the end of October.
“And that's pretty normal. As you get closer to the booking day or the reservation day, those rates will go down in order to drive occupancy, so I'm sure we'll see some recovery in that November occupancy number,” chamber president and CEO Jennifer Wesselhoff said.
Part of the lag could be because Park City has less snow than it did this time last year. But Wesselhoff also says international unrest and economic uncertainty from potential government shutdowns play a role.
“Looking at some of the economic trends, it's such a mixed bag. We are still seeing declining consumer confidence, lower national lodging trends,” she said. “So we're right in line really with what's happening nationally.”
The chamber’s own projections show signs of recovery over the next six months though. The pace of bookings is up about 4%, which means more people are booking a future trip to Park City right now than they were last year.
Wesselhoff says the 10 days leading up to Christmas are performing well, based on reservations already on the books. But Christmas Day and Boxing Day on Dec. 26 are lagging.
“December school breaks are markedly different than they were this time last year so many students aren't on break until Dec. 22, which is shifting their trip patterns.”
She said trips may shift to early January, so Park City could be in for another busy New Years.
