Last week, Visit Grand Junction hosted a delegation of 11 tourism stakeholders at the Annual Colorado Governor's Tourism Conference in Snowmass. The group included Palisade Chamber, CMU students & professor, Art Center, Visit GJ staff & Advisory Board.
I am pleased to share, Visit Grand Junction was awarded "Outstanding Marketing Program" for the Outside TV series, Park2Park. This award honors industry leaders in their achievement of outstanding tourism efforts, including creativity and excellence in promoting tourism.
The television series highlighted Grand Junction’s outdoor recreation and unique landscapes through a compelling story where Colorado residents overcame a physical or mental barrier which was holding them back from enjoying the great outdoors. Visit GJ also ran six commercials that included Grand Junction locals alongside the TV series, making the project even more special and authentic.
This achievement recognizes the support and effort from our community, while rewarding the hard work and expertise of the Visit Grand Junction Advisory Board and staff.
All three Park2Park episodes can be viewed here.
All six commercials can be viewed here, numbered 1 – 6.
Since the series release, the Grand Junction episodes have garnered over 37M views.
Thank you,
Elizabeth
Director, Visit Grand Junction
ElizabethF@GJcity.org or 970-256-4052
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Lodging Tax Revenue Report
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July 2022
From the 4.25% lodging tax collections that Visit GJ received (short-term rental lodging tax revenue is collected quarterly), July 2022’s business was 10.2% lower compared to July 2021 (adjusted for late and missing payments).
Of the Grand Junction lodging properties that reported their metrics to STR, LLC., occupancy for July 2022 was 73.5%, ADR was $115.24, and RevPAR was $84.72. Grand Junction experienced a decrease in all hotel metrics compared to the previous month of June. July 2022’s business experienced a factor of a 7.2% decrease in occupancy, a 10.7% decrease in ADR, and a 17.1% decrease in RevPAR compared to June 2022.
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Total lodging tax collections received year-to-date through July 2022’s business is 10.4% higher compared to last year's seven-month YTD period.
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Once again, we congratulate GJ's hotels for yielding their rates. Even though July 2022's occupancy was 10.7% lower than July 2021's, ADR was pretty much flat, proving that travelers are willing to pay more for their hotel rooms. Although the slower season is upon us, Visit GJ's and industry data shows that guest booking behavior has shifted, and new, unfamiliar travel patterns have emerged post-Covid. Travelers are increasingly willing to travel during off-peak times, including low-demand midweek days, demonstrating that they have become more flexible with their trip planning. This creates opportunities for your hotel to boost occupancy and revenue during seemingly slow periods. Don't fall into the trap of significantly decreasing your rates as demand decreases. Instead, check out this timely Revfine article Post-Covid Guest Booking Behavior; Boost Hotel Revenue with Data. You'll discover four current trends in guest behavior that help increase your hotel revenue and how you can leverage technology to benefit from these trends.
If you would like additional assistance with your revenue management strategies in the coming months, please don’t hesitate to contact Elizabeth at ElizabethF@GJCity.org.
Click here for the latest sales, use, and lodging tax collection reports from the City of Grand Junction.
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For national metrics, Grand Junction was 5.5% higher than U.S. hotels in average occupancy, 27.6% lower in ADR (proof there is room to raise rates), and 23.5% lower in RevPAR for July 2022. As a reminder, U.S. metrics include major metropolitan areas like NYC, LA, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Denver, etc. Those cities and hundreds of others create a dichotomy concerning the unbalanced comparison of Grand Junction metrics to U.S. metrics. Nevertheless, comparing your hotel's performance to the U.S. hotel industry helps identify areas of strength and areas of improvement as you adjust your strategy accordingly.
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Compared to the entire state, Grand Junction was 4.8% lower than Colorado hotels in average occupancy, 37.0% lower in ADR, and 39.8% lower in RevPAR for July 2022, mainly due to Colorado’s higher ADR and occupancy.
When excluding Colorado ski towns (Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne, Vail, Avon, Beaver Creek, Winter Park, Steamboat Springs, Snowmass, Aspen, Crested Butte, and Telluride), Grand Junction was 6.3% lower than the rest of the state in average occupancy, 29.7% lower in ADR (again, proof there is room to raise rates), and 34.0% lower in RevPAR, due to the rest of state’s higher ADR and occupancy. Please remember that the two largest Colorado cities, Denver and Colorado Springs, will still weigh the data disproportionately compared to Grand Junction.
*Source: STR, LLC. - REPUBLICATION OR OTHER RE-USE OF STR’s DATA WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF STR IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
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Grand Junction's Hospitality Employment
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The number of leisure and hospitality jobs in Grand Junction grew by 6% in April 2022 compared to April 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 6% in May 2022 compared to May 2019. Conversely, leisure and hospitality employment in the U.S. for April 2022 was 5.6% lower than April 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 5.9% lower in May 2022 compared to May 2019.
Tourism jobs provide an opportunity for residents and students to develop skills that can be applied to promotion opportunities in the travel industry and also careers in other trades. CMU’s hospitality program continues to develop both in student growth and academic development. The hospitality industry is the most upwardly mobile industry that exists, according to U.S. Travel. Most general managers and executives begin in entry-level positions and progress to six-figure incomes.
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Visit Grand Junction continues to host Special Events Task Force meetings to assist event coordinators and community members with organizing and promoting events in the Grand Junction area. If you are involved with an event and would like to be included in the meeting notices and information sharing, please reach out to Mason at MasonB@GJcity.org.
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Love'n GJ on Social Media
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Myranda commented "Hold on Aspens!! I am coming soon ❤️"
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Linda said, "I was there a couple of weeks ago. It's beautiful."
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Bjorn wrote, "Yummy! Best peaches on the planet! Can’t wait to see some stands up in the metro area!"
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