Led by Florida and Texas, 13 STR-defined submarkets showed greater than 10-point weekend vs. weekday occupancy gains for the week ending 2 May, according to data from STR.
“The first ‘real weekend’ with eased COVID-19 restrictions showed an obvious jump in hotel demand, especially in popular, warm-weather leisure spots,” said Jan Freitag, STR’s senior VP of lodging insights. “Whether or not this becomes a trend remains to be seen, but the fact that there were people instantly willing to head out for leisure activity and stay in hotels is a positive sign for the industry. We have maintained throughout this pandemic that the leisure segment would be the first to return, it is just a matter of when.
“Hotel companies, together with the AHLA, are showing commitment to cleanliness and providing guests with a safe environment within their properties. At the same time, health experts have expressed concerns that increased leisure activity in public spaces could contribute to a potential second wave of COVID-19, which would obviously present added risk for the industry.”
| Submarket | April 26-30 (Weekday) Occupancy |
1-2 May (Weekend) Occupancy |
Difference |
| Galveston & Texas City, TX | 26.1 | 57.0 | 30.9 |
| Mobile, AL (Area) | 20.1 | 47.8 | 27.7 |
| Daytona Beach, FL | 21.5 | 45.6 | 24.1 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 39.7 | 63.3 | 23.6 |
| Panama City, FL | 30.7 | 50.8 | 20.1 |
| Myrtle Beach/North, SC | 15.0 | 34.2 | 19.1 |
| Fort Walton Beach, FL | 18.6 | 37.0 | 18.4 |
| Cedar City & St George, UT | 26.4 | 43.3 | 16.9 |
| Pensacola, FL | 35.5 | 50.2 | 14.7 |
| Savannah Historic District, GA | 13.7 | 28.0 | 14.3 |
| Brownsville, TX | 43.2 | 55.3 | 12.1 |
| Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN | 11.1 | 21.8 | 10.7 |
| Prescott & Sedona, AZ | 25.4 | 35.7 | 10.3 |