No city and industry was hit harder by the recession than the hospitality industry in Fresno the past five years. A number of well known hotel properties closed and/or faced bankruptcy.
But in July 2013 you might want to mark your calendars as the month Fresno climbed out of the doldrums and on to the bandwagon. Now the last is first.
Smith Travel reports Fresno room revenue in July, the hight of the summer travel season – climbed to a state best – up 14.9% compared to the same month of 2012. Closely watched REVPAR was up 15.2% also highest in the state. Hotels were 10.2 % busier at 62.1% occupancy – and rooms sold were up 9.9%.
Of course hotel occupancy at 62.1 % is far from great and is among the lowest in the state.But the rebound is here and cash registers are ringing again.RevPAR was $53.41 in July compared to just $46.37 a year ago.