Occupancy Rate, Room Prices Up at O.C. Hotels

Orange County hotels received a double dose of good news in November as occupancy rates and average room prices both rose compared to a year earlier, according to figures released Thursday.

Overall, the average occupancy rate in the county was 57.1%, up slightly from 56.7% in November, 1990. The average nightly room rate at county hotels was $73.26, up 4.3% from $70.20 the previous year, according to the accounting firm of Pannell Kerr Forster in Irvine.

November is traditionally a slow month in the hotel business. It is too late for tourists seeking warm weather, and business travel usually declines as the Christmas holiday nears. Still, the latest figures offer a ray of hope for the recession-battered hotel industry.

“Obviously, 1991 was a tough year for everybody,” said Rick Schwartz, a hotel consultant for the accounting firm. Hotel owners “would like to take 1991 and put it in their back pocket and move ahead.”

Occupancy rates held steady in Anaheim, were up slightly in North County and down slightly in the John Wayne Airport area. But rates showed big gains in South County, where occupancy averaged 59%, up from 49.8% in November, 1990.

Schwartz said a lot of new hotel rooms have been added in South County in the last couple of years, and the improved occupancy shows more of those rooms are finally being filled.

Catherine Boire, a spokeswoman for the Marriott Corp., said the company’s six Orange County properties showed a steady improvement in occupancy through the end of the year. “I think we’re getting back on our feet,” she said. “We’re seeing better occupancy (rates).” She declined to provide specific occupancy rates.