Hotel occupancy in the Tacoma area fell in November, marking two months of consecutive double-digit declines.
Compared with the same month in 2010, 24.9 percent fewer rooms were occupied in November. In October, 22.9 percent fewer rooms were taken, said Bellevue hospitality consultant Wolfgang Rood in his monthly report.
The statewide hotel occupancy rate was up 5 percent in November, Rood said. Of eight regions in the state, four showed an increase in occupancy and four a decline in November.
The occupancy rate in Pierce County in November showed that 48.3 percent of rooms were taken, down from 64.3 percent. All other regions of the state showed an occupancy rate above 50 percent.
Downtown Seattle hotels marked the greatest increase with an occupancy rate of 72.5 percent, up 18.1 percent.
One Pierce County hotel executive said recently that the statistical decline was an anomaly indicating a surge in business in late 2010 rather than an organic decline late last year.
The average daily room rate in Pierce County in November, $90.43, was down 5.6 percent from $95.71 the year before. The statewide rate, $114.26, was up 7 percent from $106.74.
Hotel occupancy in Oregon was down 0.3 percent in November, Rood said, while Idaho hotels showed an increase of 4.9 percent.
C.R. Roberts c.r.roberts @thenewstribune.com
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