Bend area hotels were nearly as full in 2018 as the year before, despite new hotels coming on line, according to STR, a data and analytics specialist.

The data show a maturing market that is able to absorb new rooms but maintain room rates, which shrunk by a meager 0.2 percent this year over last, said Alison Hoyt, STR senior director of consulting and analytics.

Hotels reported an average 50.6 percent occupancy rate in December, the most current month that data are available, and earned an average daily room rate of $102.54, according to STR. Those figures are down only slightly from the previous month despite a new Residence Inn opening in November and the Best Western Premier Peppertree Inn at Bend, which opened in June, said Kevney Dugan, Visit Bend CEO.

In December 2017 hotels had a 52 percent occupancy rate and earned $103.92 in average daily rates, according to STR.

The strong market in Bend captured the attention of TripAdvisor, which ranked Bend among it’s top 20 places to visit in the United States. The locations were selected for their uniqueness, annual events, festivals and culture.

“We’re not actively out there pitching that media companies choose Bend, it’s being chosen because of its reputation,” Dugan said. “TripAdvisor chose us, we didn’t pitch to them. A town that makes the top lists without media attention, that speaks for itself.”

In Bend, demand outpacing supply shows a healthy visitor industry, Hoyt said. The demand rose 3.8 percent in 2018 compared to 2017, while the supply of hotel rooms rose 3.6 percent, STR data show.

“That means occupancy was stable,” Hoyt said.

The numbers show steady, stable growth in the tourism industry, said Justin Yax, partner and public relations director at DVA Advertising & Public Relations, a Bend firm specializing in destination marketing.

“It is much more in line with the steady growth that is indicative of a mature destination,” Yax said in an email. “Slower, but steady, growth is also more manageable and sustainable.”

Davis Smith, the general manager at the new Residence Inn, said the chain met revenue projections upon opening.

“We were full, especially Dec. 26 to Jan. 2. December was great,” Smith said. “We ended up selling out those nights with skiers and their families.”

Dugan said the experience of Residence Inn matches what he heard anecdotally from other properties that experienced a late month surge because of good snowfall and conditions on Mt. Bachelor.

Bend’s growth mirrors what is being experienced nationally, which held at 66.2 percent, Hoyt said.

“With all the new supply nationally, we’ve been able to maintain even growth,” Hoyt said. “We’re still optimistic about 2019 and 2020. We see it as slowing down. We’ve seen that already in 2018. But there some labor costs rising. Profits are taking a hit with growing labor costs and low unemployment.”

— Reporter: 541-633-2117, sroig@bendbulletin.com