Overnight hotel stays in Adams County leveled out in 2024, a trend that followed national forecasts for leisure travel last year.
An annual report by Smith Travel Research (STR) showed that occupancy among the 17 participating hotels dipped 2.7 percent in 2024 compared to 2023.
In 2024, it was June and July that showed the softest occupancy rates (as compared to previous years) at 69.7 and 67.8 percent, respectively. Both months had hotter-than-normal temperatures over many weekends – during what is usually the busiest time of year for tourism in Adams County.
October, for the second time in the past four years, was the strongest month of the year for overnight occupancy at 72.7 percent, according to STR. This past December, the highest occupancy was 38.2 percent in the past five years.
In other lodging metrics, the average daily rate for the 691,732 hotel rooms booked in 2024 increased 1.4 percent to $132.03, and revenue among the hotels in the STR report ($51.3 million) dropped 1.4 percent. A full lodging revenue report will be available in mid-February through the Adams County Treasurer’s Office.
In a separate report that measures nights booked at short-term rentals (Airbnb and VRBO), lodging in 2024 increased 11.4 percent over 2023 and 19.4 percent higher than in 2022. Revenue among short-term rentals ($9.7 million) increased 10.6 percent over 2023 levels, but the average daily rate for short-term rentals ($231) dropped 1 percent in 2024.
Source: Destination Gettysburg