D.C. set an all-time record with 20.2 million visitors in 2014, thanks in large part to a 16 percent boost in international visitors over the previous year.
About 90 percent of the city’s visitors still come from within the United States, but international visitors are an attractive target for tourism officials because they typically stay longer.
When it comes to trends in the lodging industry, boutique is where it’s at. Since Starwood started the W Hotel chain in 1998, the market’s been on fire. From treadmills and organic foods for health aficionados, to neon lights and mobile apps for Millennials, these 17 chains are quickly becoming the hottest hotels everyone’s talking about.
This past year saw the highest occupancy rate for all Washington, D.C. hotels in a decade. The D.C. Office of Revenue Analysis analyzed data from May 2005 to May 2015 and discovered that this growth was attributed to the new Convention Center hotel’s first full year as well as the year-over-year exponential growth in demand for hotel rooms in Washington, D.C. Industry data company STR, Inc. determined that the 12-month year ending in May 2015 saw 6.2 percent higher hotel demand than the previous year, with a total 77.3 percent occupancy.
Travelers to cities with thriving downtowns, such as New York and San Francisco, have long been familiar with one-of-a-kind boutique hotels, but downtown Los Angeles has long been ruled by big chains selling soothing predictability.
That pattern is finally changing as L.A.’s city center becomes a place more people want to visit — and where investors want to make money.
Longing for alternatives to the conventional, cookie-cutter hotel? Along with crocuses and daffodils, new specialty chains from major hospitality companies including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Carlson Rezidor will be springing up across the globe in the coming weeks and months.
The hotels are what’s known in the industry as “lifestyle” brands: They strive to appeal to the predilections of next-generation travelers. Some are trying to lure millennials (who are defined as between 18 and 34 in 2015, according to the Pew Research Center)) with high-tech lounges, reasonable rates, locally inspired amenities, and grab-and-go meals.