While forecasters agree that San Diego’s hotels will see less crowded lobbies a couple of years from now when a large bump in rooms hits the market, a leading hotel researcher predicts the same for hotels across the country , only sooner.
Atlanta-based PKF Hospitality Research foresees an overall 2 percent increase in the inventory of hotel rooms across the country, resulting in a 0.6 percent decline to an average of 68 percent occupancy for the largest lodging markets next year.
“Following three years of strong increases in all industry performance measurements, it would be natural for market participants to assume that such robust times would continue ,” said R. Mark Woodworth, president of PKF Hospitality Research. “The fact is that we are approaching the peak of the current business cycle, and a slowdown in the pace of growth would not be difficult to imagine.
“That being said, the U.S. lodging industry is still forecast to realize continued growth in revenues and profits.”
According to PKF, occupancy rates at San Diego County’s inns rose 1.1 percent from January through August to reach 80.6 percent compared with the same time frame in 2005. Meanwhile, the room inventory, which currently stands at some 54,000, is flat compared to last year.
Overall, average room rates of $167 were up 6.5 percent, while the revenue hoteliers collected from room rentals rose 7.8 percent to $134. (That number is always lower than the average rate, because it’s an equation based on occupancy and rate.)
The PKF report showed that average daily rates at hotels in the University Towne Center area saw the biggest year-to-date bump, going up 8.2 percent to $154, followed by those for hotels in the San Diego Bay area, which increased 6.5 percent to $180.
La Jolla’s hotels led all other areas in the county with the highest average daily rate, $243.
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Lindbergh Field’s Passenger Count Stabilized:
The number of people flying in and out of Lindbergh Field, for the first nine months of the year, rose 0.2 percent to 13.1 million , flat compared to the same period in 2005, according to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.
The total passenger count was down by 17,733, or 1.3 percent, to 1.3 million during September versus the like year-ago month.
Airfreight, meanwhile, rose 11.3 percent to 15,971 tons in September and was up 9.9 percent to 128,153 tons year to date.
Aircraft operations, or takeoffs and landings, were off 2.2 percent to 18,004 on the month, yet were up 0.7 percent to 166,471, or flat, year to date.
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Go Gavin:
The founder of the Vermont-based New England Culinary Institute and three of its alumni will host a special fund-raiser for Gavin Kaysen, chef de cuisine of El Bizcocho, Rancho Bernardo Inn’s fine dining restaurant, who will represent the nation at the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, France, in January.
The Bocuse d’Or, named after Paul Bocuse, the French chef who started the event, is the Olympics of culinary competitions.
The fund-raiser is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. on Nov. 13 at Macy’s School of Cooking in the Mission Valley Macy’s Home Store at 1555 Camino de la Reina in San Diego.
“We are extremely proud that Gavin will represent the U.S.A. at the Bocuse d’Or,” said Michel LeBorgne, one of the school’s founders. “We want to show our support by helping to defray his costs.”
Also participating are: Randy Lewis of the Mecca Supper Club in San Francisco, Doug Weldon of Bistro Jeanty in Napa Valley and Doug Weldon of Trinchero Winery, also in Napa.
Kaysen and each of the chefs will perform a 20-minute demonstration, after which a buffet including specialty wines will be served to the audience. The five participating chefs will mingle to answer questions. Recipe booklets and special Bocuse d’Or T-shirts will be given out. The cost to attend is $100 per person. All proceeds will benefit Kaysen’s trip to Lyon.
For reservations and information, call (858) 675-8455 Monday through Friday. Tickets may be purchased at the door with cash or checks.
Send tourism and hospitality news to Connie Lewis via e-mail:
clewis@sdbj.com
. She may also be reached by phone at (858) 277-6359.
