Hotel Occupancy Drop Led by Anaheim

Led by a huge drop in the Anaheim area, Orange County hotel occupancy fell nearly 11% in November compared to the same month last year, according to a Los Angeles consulting agency.

Hotel room rates fell an average of 7.2% in the county during the month, according to PKF Consulting in Los Angeles, formerly known as Pannell Kerr Forster.

Research coordinator Melissa Mills said the lower occupancy reflected a 16.4% drop in hotel room rentals in the Anaheim area, the largest drop of any area checked. Next highest was north Orange County, where the fall was 7.4%.

Mills said that Anaheim didn’t receive as much convention business in November as it had the previous year, accounting for the depressed occupancy. The busy convention business in 1991 helped salvage what had promised to be a difficult year because of the Persian Gulf War and recession.

But 1992 has been just as difficult, with local hotels suffering as tourists shied away because of reports about earthquakes, riots and the continuing weak economy.

All told, Orange County hotels were 52.7% full in November, compared to 59.1% in the same month last year. The average daily room rate was $74.20, down from $79.99 last year.