Friday, June 6, 2014, 11:29am
The Boston Marathon helped boost local hotel occupancies to their highest level in eight years, according to an industry study.
Greater Boston hotels averaged 82 percent occupancy and $222 daily room rates during the month of April, PKF Consulting reported. Occupancy rates were the highest for the month of April since 2006.
Occupancy rates were up nearly 5 percent and room rates rose 11 percent from April 2013. Revenues per available room increased 16 percent to $182. The study is based upon a survey of 97 hotel operators in Greater Boston.
The downtown Boston submarket had the highest occupancy rate in April at 88.6 percent, followed by Cambridge at 87.1 percent. Average room rates at downtown hotels rose 14 percent over the previous year to $266.
Marathon visitors accounted for a substantial portion of the demand during the month. The year-over-year increase was more pronounced because hotels experienced a loss of business after last year’s marathon bombings, the report said.