COLUMBUS – Today, Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission released their first quarter 2016 State of the Industry Report. From January to March 2016, industry key performance indicators remained steady over the same time frame in 2015. Overall the average daily rate at Greater Columbus hotels grew 1.1 percent, RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) rose 0.8 percent, while hotel occupancy decreased 0.3 percent. Bed tax collections were up 1.64 percent.

According to the Smith Travel Research Report, from January 1 to March 31, 2016:

KPI

YTD

% change

Average in competitive set

National Average

Occupancy

57.2%

-0.3%

58.78%

60.7%

Average Daily Rate

$98.16

1.1%

$101.72

$120.92

RevPAR*

$56.18

0.8%

$60.10

$73.34
 

* RevPAR is a hotel industry performance metric, which is calculated by multiplying a hotel’s ADR by its occupancy rate

“Annual citywide conventions played an important role in maintaining a steady first quarter,” said Brian Ross, Experience Columbus president and CEO. “Looking ahead, our sales team is laser-focused on increasing room nights by booking more citywide conventions and meetings in business segments including medical, engineering, scientific and corporate.”

During the first quarter of 2016, Columbus hosted a total of 133 conventions, sporting events and groups, including four citywide events, those with 1,000 hotel rooms or more on peak night. The Reading Recovery Council of North America welcomed 2,100 attendees to its 2016 Annual Conference; the 2016 Ohayocon Annual Convention brought 11,000 visitors; American Cheer Power hosted 15,000 for the 2016 World Bid National Championship; and the Arnold Sports Festival & Fitness Weekend attracted 180,000 attendees. 

“The Greater Columbus Sports Commission had a strong first quarter booking new events for the city,” said Linda Logan, Greater Columbus Sports Commission executive director. “The core of our mission is to bring more national and international sporting events to Columbus. Beginning in the first quarter and through the rest of the year, we’re aggressively bidding to host more NCAA championship events, which will have an immense impact on boosting awareness of our city as a premier sports destination.”

Looking ahead, Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission booked future business accounting for 96,447 room nights, up 30 percent over first quarter 2015. Future conventions and sporting events include the 2016 Buckeye Country Superfest, United States Fencing Association’s 2017 January North American Cup and Club Ohio Soccer’s 2016 Girls Club Ohio Nike Challenge Cup and Boys Club Ohio Nike Challenge Cup.

As a result of the increase in daily rates, hotel/motel bed tax collections increased 1.64 percent YTD or $126,794 through March 31, with collections totaling nearly $7.9 million, according to reports from the Office of the City of Columbus’ Auditor Hugh J. Dorrian. These funds support not only Experience Columbus, but also cultural and arts programs, social services, affordable housing programs and the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority.

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Experience Columbus is the destination marketing organization for the Columbus region, dedicated to growing visitor spending that is generated by conventions, meetings, trade shows and leisure visitors.  Annually, visitors make more than 37.9 million trips to Greater Columbus, generating $8.7 billion in economic impact and supporting more than 71,000 jobs. For more information, visit experiencecolumbus.com.