Both Morro Bay and Los Osos appear to be having a busier summer in 2012 than a year ago.
Morro Bay’s Transient Occupancy Tax(TOT) numbers for the fiscal year show nearly a 10% increase in hotel revenues and city bed tax.
Morro Bay has some 920 hotel rooms and they enjoyed improved occupancy in the latest fiscal year that runs June to June. In June of 2011 occupancy stood at 58% and motels did $1.64 million in business. In June 2012 occupancy improved to to 65% and receipts were $1.97 million, the latest number available. July and August are the region’s busiest period.
For the entire fiscal year, motels in Morro Bay did $17.1 million in 2011-2012 compared to $15.7 million in the 2010-11 fiscal year.
For the city the difference will be an extra $160,000 for the fiscal year. In addition the Morro Bay Tourism Improvement district gets an extra $200,000 vs the year before. Morro Bay’s bed tax is 10% and an extra 3% is given to the improvement district to market the community.
Back Bay
In Los Ososo hotel owner Bill Lee says he increased the number of rooms in Baywood in since last year by converting several out buildings to hotel rooms bringing his total to 21 rooms. Across the street at Baywood Inn there are 18 rooms and the other property in town is Sea Pines Golf Course with 41 rooms – 80 rooms in Los Osos in all.
“Our TOT meetings we have show we are up nicely this year” says Lee, like other areas in SLO County.
Smith Travel says the San luis Obispo/Paso Robles metro area recorded a 8.9% increase in hotel occupancy and a 13.8% increases inRevPAR. Room revenue was up 16.4%.Over a longer term, year to date – hotel occupancy was up 6.9%.
Los Osos/Baywood will see the reopening reopening of Mr Lee’s pizza property called Baywood Pizza this weekend.
Lee does not expect much more development to happen in the community until the sewer project is completed over the next few years. ”That’s called progress” he adds saying that while streets are torn up for a while – the long awaited service will enable stalled development,empty parcels and rundown properties to improve.
The project will build 100 miles of collection pipeline laid over two years. The total budget for the project is $173.4 million.Construction activity for the Los Osos Wastewater Collection System is expected to begin in August 2012 and continue through 2014. Check this website (http://www.diglososos.com/traffic-update ) regularly to stay informed of current construction activities.
For merchants like Lee the added stimulus of money being spent and workers here should benefit local business.