Theresa Hajko Suburban Boston Hotels Achieving ‘Crazy Weekend Demand’
The transition from the summer to fall travel seasons has been different than in past years, according to some U.S. hoteliers, who are adjusting strategies for selling hotel rooms to meet the new demand.
Theresa Hajko, regional director of revenue management at third-party management company Spire Hospitality, said demand across the Spire’s hotels dipped in the last two weeks of August and first week of September. Hajko said this drop felt bigger than in previous years, possibly due to a greater volume of students going back to school in-person.
However, in terms of fall leisure transient demand, Hajko said it’s been “going absolutely gangbusters” and exceeding 2019. For example, Thursday through Sunday bookings are still considered the weekend, and rates are higher than pre-pandemic. Suburban Boston hotels, for instance, are seeing “crazy weekend demand,” she added.
In contrast, corporate leisure demand for hotels is “still building,” she said, but it’s nowhere near the lows that segment experienced in the past.
In the fourth quarter, Spire’s portfolio is at 94% of 2019 demand levels, driven by the group segment. Corporate transient demand is dependent on the market, with some hotels at 75% of 2019 levels and others at 30% to 40%, she said.
SPIRE Hospitality 
Jamelia Lehn 