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On what would have been Sinéad O’Connor’s 57th birthday, friends, collaborators, and admirers recall the life and legacy of a “machete-cutting truth teller.” ....
The week after Thanksgiving (27 November-3 December) was somewhat typical for the U.S. hotel industry. Occupancy increased to 55.4% from 50.3% in the week prior. Room demand was up 10% week over week (WoW), which was below our expectations, but still the second highest number of rooms sold for the week after Thanksgiving during the past 23 years. ....
In what turned out to be a normal Thanksgiving week, U.S. hotel occupancy for 20-26 November was 50.4%. That was down from 52.9% a year ago and 50.6% in 2019. Nearly every market saw occupancy fall year over year despite more airline travel, which was 95% of 2019’s volume. A year ago, 89 of the 166 STR-defined U.S. markets saw occupancy above 50%. This year, 64 markets saw the same, which was close to the tally in 2019. ....
Good occupancy abounds as spring blooms. U.S. hotel industry occupancy (63.2%) reached a 20-week high during 6-12 March 2022 with Spring Break driving growth even though it has yet to reach its apex. Along with robust leisure travel, business travel appears to be returning as well. Hotels saw the highest weekday (Monday-Wednesday) occupancy since the week ending 21 August 2021. A more important sign was seen in central business districts (CBDs) in STR’s Top 25 Markets, where weekday occupancy hit a pandemic-era high (57.9%). Average daily rate (ADR) also blossomed, reaching the second highest nominal level ever (US$144.68), behind the all-time high seen during the 2021 Christmas holiday week. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) followed, increasing 8.3% week over week. ....