Citywide conventions boost ADR and RevPAR

COLUMBUS – Today, Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission released their third quarter 2017 State of the Industry Report. According to the STR report, from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, 2017, hotel occupancy was flat, while average daily rate and RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) increased over the same time period in 2016.

KPI

YTD

% change

Average in competitive set

Occupancy

67.51%

0%

66.7%

Average Daily Rate

$104.06

2.2%

$111.40

RevPAR*

$70.25

2.2%

$74.51

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

“Hosting new citywides, such as AIMExpo and the National Association of Counties, during the third quarter was significant,” said Brian Ross, Experience Columbus president and CEO. “These conventions contributed to the increased ADR and RevPAR. Looking ahead, our sales team is actively filling the pipeline with new citywide opportunities. Currently, our citywide leads are up 38 percent over last year.”

During the third quarter of 2017, Columbus hosted a total of 159 conventions, sporting events and groups, including six citywide events, those with 1,000 room nights or more on peak. AmericanHort welcomed 10,000 attendees to 2017 Cultivate; the National Association of Counties drew 3,000 to its 2017 Annual Conference & Exposition; Thirty-One Gifts brought 10,000 for its 2017 Annual Convention; the Motorcycle Industry attracted over 18,000 for AIMExpo presented by Nationwide; and Fastpitch Showdowns welcomed over 7,000 athletes and fans for its 2017 North American All Sanctioned World Series.

“Our third quarter was highlighted by Columbus hosting the 2017 USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships, for the second time in three years, and the 2017 USA Diving Summer National Championships,” said Linda Logan, Greater Columbus Sports Commission executive director. “Even more, USA Volleyball announced that their Adult Open National Championships and Annual Meeting will also be returning to Columbus in 2019.”

Looking ahead, Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission booked future business during the third quarter accounting for 67,312 room nights. Citywide groups include the National Association for Campus Activities in 2019, Reading Recovery Council of North America for 2019 and the National Center for State Courts in 2021.

Hotel/motel bed tax collections increased 4.09 percent YTD or $1.3 million as of Sept. 30, with collections totaling nearly $34 million, according to reports from the Office of 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 and enhancing the visitor experience. In 2016, Columbus was ranked “Highest in Visitor Satisfaction in the Midwest” by J.D. Power in the 2016 Destination Experience Satisfaction StudySM.  Annually, visitors make more than 39.9 million trips to Greater Columbus for conventions, tradeshows, sporting events and leisure visits, spending $6.4 billion generating $9.7 billion in economic impact and supporting nearly 75,000 jobs. For more information, visit experiencecolumbus.com.