Crain’s New York Business: To warm up January, 110 city hotels offer major discounts By CARA EISENPRESS January 4, 2022 2:04 PM New York City’s hotels are hoping that a substantial across-the-board discount will entice winter travelers to the city—helping make up for a chilly business climate in December. More than 100 hotels are offering a 22% discount on standard room rates from today until Feb. 13—right before Valentine’s Day. NYC & Company, the city’s marketing organization, is running the promotion. The hotels participating include the Beekman Hotel, Lotte New York Palace, the Pierre New York in Manhattan and the William Vale in Brooklyn. This is the first time that NYC & Company has put its weight behind the discount incentive and combined it with a handful of other citywide programs that will begin Jan. 18: NYC Restaurant Week, NYC Broadway Week and NYC Must-See Week. It’s all part of a coordinated effort to support and celebrate hospitality and tourism, which have been slow to recover. The hotel discount, in particular, may be an important boost for to what is traditionally a slow month, likely made slower by the resurgence of Covid-19 cases. By the time the discount is over, said Hotel Association President Vijay Dandapani, “I think we’ll be back where we were pre-omicron.” The wide-ranging offering also helps individual hotels avoid the appearance of needing to offer discounts to fill rooms—a blow to high-end brands, Dandapani said. “Generally, they don’t discount,” he said. “It’s like going to Per Se—you’re not going to get a discount there.” Despite the lower rate, services at the hotels will not be at 78% of their normal level, Dandapani said. “You get the whole thing,” he said. In some typical pre-pandemic years, average hotel room rates dropped by more than $100 between December and January, Dandapani said. Occupancy would usually fall—going from around 85% in December to less than three-quarters full in January, he said. Last year was a minor exception, as the city’s recovery began to accelerate in January 2021, with both room demand and average revenue per available room steadily climbing from the beginning of the year through July. December was also unusual. The month started off with promise. Visitors flocked to holiday offerings and Broadway shows, and they filled up hotels:The weekend of Dec. 10 had the highest occupancy of the post-March 2020 era. Almost immediately thereafter, however, would-be tourists canceled trips as Covid-19 cases increased and organizers called off performances and events. Occupancy dropped by 20 percentage points between that week and the week ending on Christmas, Dandapani said. Going into the new year, NYC & Company believes it can promote tourism through this program and ensure the safety of New Yorkers and visitors, said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company. “NYC Hotel Week … encourages visitors and New Yorkers to safely enjoy some of the city’s finest accommodations during a time with less crowds and more opportunity,” he said.

Crain’s New York Business: To warm up January, 110 city hotels offer major discounts

By CARA EISENPRESS

January 4, 2022 2:04 PM

New York City’s hotels are hoping that a substantial across-the-board discount will entice winter travelers to the city—helping make up for a chilly business climate in December.

More than 100 hotels are offering a 22% discount on standard room rates from today until Feb. 13—right before Valentine’s Day.

NYC & Company, the city’s marketing organization, is running the promotion. The hotels participating include the Beekman Hotel, Lotte New York Palace, the Pierre New York in Manhattan and the William Vale in Brooklyn.

This is the first time that NYC & Company has put its weight behind the discount incentive and combined it with a handful of other citywide programs that will begin Jan. 18: NYC Restaurant Week, NYC Broadway Week and NYC Must-See Week. It’s all part of a coordinated effort to support and celebrate hospitality and tourism, which have been slow to recover.

The hotel discount, in particular, may be an important boost for to what is traditionally a slow month, likely made slower by the resurgence of Covid-19 cases. By the time the discount is over, said Hotel Association President Vijay Dandapani, “I think we’ll be back where we were pre-omicron.”

The wide-ranging offering also helps individual hotels avoid the appearance of needing to offer discounts to fill rooms—a blow to high-end brands, Dandapani said.

“Generally, they don’t discount,” he said. “It’s like going to Per Se—you’re not going to get a discount there.”

Despite the lower rate, services at the hotels will not be at 78% of their normal level, Dandapani said.

“You get the whole thing,” he said.

In some typical pre-pandemic years, average hotel room rates dropped by more than $100 between December and January, Dandapani said. Occupancy would usually fall—going from around 85% in December to less than three-quarters full in January, he said.

Last year was a minor exception, as the city’s recovery began to accelerate in January 2021, with both room demand and average revenue per available room steadily climbing from the beginning of the year through July.

December was also unusual. The month started off with promise. Visitors flocked to holiday offerings and Broadway shows, and they filled up hotels:The weekend of Dec. 10 had the highest occupancy of the post-March 2020 era. Almost immediately thereafter, however, would-be tourists canceled trips as Covid-19 cases increased and organizers called off performances and events. Occupancy dropped by 20 percentage points between that week and the week ending on Christmas, Dandapani said.

Going into the new year, NYC & Company believes it can promote tourism through this program and ensure the safety of New Yorkers and visitors, said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company.

“NYC Hotel Week … encourages visitors and New Yorkers to safely enjoy some of the city’s finest accommodations during a time with less crowds and more opportunity,” he said.