Actual occupancy at Western U.S. mountain resorts surveyed by Denver-based DestiMetrics increased 3.9 percent in June compared to last June and was accompanied by a 9.9 percent increase in revenue.

 
Hot temperatures throughout the western United States, increasing activities and special events at mountain resorts, and a steadily recovering economy drove the growth, according to DestiMetrics.
 
And, despite a one percent decrease in the booking pace (total number of reservations made in June for the next six months), projected occupancy for July is up 4.5 percent compared to July 2012 and overall occupancy on-the-books for June through December is currently up an aggregated 7.3 percent. Lodging revenue is projected to be up 14 percent for the period.
 
 
“The significant increases we are seeing in both occupancy and room rates in June coupled with the fact that reservations for July and August are still running ahead of last summer indicate at the current pace we will see a second consecutive record-breaking summer for lodging at mountain resorts this year,” explained Ralf Garrison, director of DestiMetrics. “Although the slight decrease in reservations taken during the last part of June was something of a surprise, we are speculating that the widespread news coverage about western wildfires may have dissuaded some potential visitors from booking for several weeks.”
 
 
Formerly known as the Mountain Travel Research Program Data, DestiMetrics derives its data from a sample of approximately 260 property management companies in 17 mountain destination communities, representing 24,000 rooms across Colorado, Utah, California, Nevada, and Oregon. Results may vary significantly among/between resorts and participating properties.
 

“Our research is showing us that despite this very long economic recovery, the mountain travel industry has great strength at the core,” notes Tom Foley, DestiMetrics operations director. “Lodging rates have dropped only five times in the past 36 months and most of those decreases were during shoulder or mud season. However, as mountain destinations continue to grow in summer visitation, rates will continue to climb as demand for lodging begins to exceed current capacity,” he concluded.