Occupancy, Rates Up at Downtown Hotels

Strong convention business in October helped push occupancy at downtown Los Angeles hotels past 80% capacity, which in turn allowed hotel operators to boost average room prices to a record high, local tourism officials said. The average price of a downtown hotel room was $120 a night, up $14 from a year ago, according to PKF Consulting, which tracks the local hospitality industry. October’s average hotel price for all of Los Angeles County rose 5% to $116.32, thanks largely to six major events at the Los Angeles Convention Center that generated 66,000 overnight hotel stays, said Michael Collins of the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau. October occupancy at hotels in the county overall was about 78%. In Orange County, however, the average room rate in October fell about 2% to $103.38 compared with a year ago, while occupancy dropped by more than 6%.