County’s Hotel Occupancy Off From Last Year

Hotel occupancy fell in Orange County during the first six months of the year compared to a year ago, according to a hotel consultant’s report released Friday.

Only 62.6% of the county’s more than 16,000 hotel rooms were filled, down from 67.4% last year, according to a report prepared by the Irvine office of Pannell Kerr Forster. For the month of June, the occupancy rate fell 4.7%.

Rick Schwartz said the numbers might portend a disappointing year for hoteliers unless a surge of travelers helps pull the local industry out of its current slump. He added that the July-September quarter will be particularly important for hotels to see if the effects of the recession ease and summer travel rebounds.

Occupancy in South County was particularly hard hit in June, falling 14.5% from last year. Hotels in that part of the county generally have fewer rooms than the rest of the county, Schwartz said, and feel the full brunt of fluctuating numbers of travelers.

The average room rate in the county edged up slightly in the January-June period, to $71.98 from $70.46. Schwartz said the slight increase is a result of many hotels reducing their rates to entice travelers.