Springfield hotel room sales climb in first half of 2015

Helped by a strong July, Queen City hotel room sales rose 10.2 percent to $59.5 million in the first half of the year, according to the latest data from the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau.

July sales grew 12.5 percent to $10.4 million from $9.2 million a year earlier, according to the CVB’s October newsletter released this morning.

The occupancy rate in Springfield hotels moved up to 70.5 percent from 69.7 percent in July. For the year, the number is flat, with 2014 a tenth of a percentage point ahead at 61.3 percent.

Other hotel statistics for the Queen City:
    •    Room supply moved up to 179,975 in July, bringing the yearly figure up to 1.2 million.
    •    Room demand inched up to 126,875 during the month, while the year-to-date figure climbed to 746,752.
    •    The average daily rate was $82 in July, ahead of the $77.01 average in the same month last year. The yearly figure rose to $79.65 from $74.45.
    •    Revenue per available room increased to $57.80 in July, bringing the year-to-date figure up to $48.79.

CVB data released today also indicate traffic at Springfield-Branson National Airport grew 14.5 percent to 85,053 passengers in August, compared to 74,294 a year earlier.