The Bay Area’s hotel industry is still struggling to rebound from coronavirus-linked shutdowns, even as the lodging sector outside the region has flourished. And not everyone is in agreement about what’s to blame.
Together, San Jose’s hotel markets downtown and near the airport generated revenues in 2022 that were 45% below the 2019 total, before the pandemic began. Team San Jose — which is tasked with promoting tourism and operates the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, South Hall and multiple San Jose theaters — also identifies the decline in business travel as a key culprit.
In Austin, the hotel revenue total jumped 25.2% in 2022 compared with 2019, while Phoenix hotel revenue in 2022 was up 23.4% from 2019, STR reported. During the same span, hotel revenues were up 15.9% in San Diego and 12.8% in Salt Lake City. Anaheim, Denver and Los Angeles managed single-digit revenue increases when comparing the periods, STR determined.