JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — While some indicators (like traffic) suggest the summer 2022 season is as busy as ever in Jackson Hole, the Chamber of Commerce says lodging occupancy is down substantially from last year’s record-setting pace.
June ’22 bookings are off from June ’21 when occupancy was an astounding 95.2% for the month. This June shaped up more like 74.1% (-22%). Advanced bookings for July ’22, released on July 1, indicate more of the same with 73.6% occupancy—down 22% from last July.
“Occupancies for the upcoming summer continue to lag behind from last year. For May and June, we accounted for the airport being closed, but for July through October, you need to find other reasons for their shortcomings,” said Kent Elliott, director of global sales for the Chamber. “Much like we saw during the height of the pandemic with short-term bookings, properties are going to have to rely on that pattern for this summer to make up the deficit they face. We can look at reasons such as inflationary costs as one reason, but there could be other underlying reasons for the lack of demand or resistance to booking.”
Less people visiting hasn’t hurt the bottom line too much for hotels and motels. Most have jacked their rates (by an average 18.2%) to cover any empty beds. Total revenue from heads in beds is projected as $16.1M this July, compared to $17.2M for July ’21.
