Hotel Rates in County Rose Slightly in 1994 : Tourism: Occupancy declined slightly, thanks in part to the Northridge earthquake. Better things are foreseen this year.

Being jostled by the Northridge earthquake and a lackluster tourism season combined to reduce Orange County hotel occupancy slightly last year, although room rates showed modest increases, a consulting agency reported Tuesday.

Hotels were able to fill an average of 65.5% of their rooms last year, down 0.08% from 66% in 1993. Average room rates were $79.13 a night, up 1.7% over the previous year’s $77.80, according to PKF Consulting in Los Angeles.

The tourism center of Anaheim had the weakest showing of any region in Orange County, with a 3.1% drop in its room occupancy to 66.2%. The John Wayne Airport area, which usually attracts traveling business people, showed the strongest gain, with a 5.6% increase to 65.1% occupancy.

PKF spokeswoman Melissa Mills said the results indicate that, while tourism remained soft in Orange County last year, business travel began to rise.

“A pickup in the hotel business always trails the economy. But this is the first time in a number of years that hotels have been able to raise their rates,” Mills said, adding that the signs for 1995 point to a banner year for hotels.

Bill O’Connell, general manager of the Stovall Inns in Anaheim, said PKF’s findings and predictions sound accurate for the four motels his company operates.

Last year, the Northridge quake in January dealt a severe blow to tourism, and Disneyland lacked the kind of blockbuster ride opening that can attract more tourists. But this year, O’Connell said, the March 3 debut of the Indiana Jones Adventure ride, which was the centerpiece of last month’s Super Bowl halftime show, and stronger convention bookings bode well. “We are hoping it will be a great year,” he said.

In the airport area, the Hyatt Regency Irvine said that room bookings were a little softer last year than the PKF figures may indicate. General Manager Rod T. Schinnerer said the occupancy rate began to improve by the end of the year and has stayed strong.

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Occupancy Rate Steady

Orange County hotels filled about the same percentage of their rooms in 1994 as in 1993, despite a slight increase in the average room rate. Occupancy gains near John Wayne Airport and in South County were offset by decreases in Anaheim and the rest of North County. Occupancy and average daily room rates:

OCCUPANCY RATE

1993 1994 % Change Anaheim 68.3 66.2 -3.1 Airport area 61.7 65.1 5.6 South County 62.9 63.0 0.003 North County 63.8 62.6 -1.8 Countywide 66.0 65.5 -0.08

AVERAGE DAILY ROOM RATE

1993 1994 % Change Anaheim $82.81 $84.52 2.1 Airport area 71.61 72.29 0.9 South County 72.54 73.84 1.8 North County 60.47 62.67 3.6 Countywide $77.80 $79.13 1.7

Source: PKF Consulting; Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times