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US Solar Eclipse Hotel Occupancy Increases by Another 10%
Amadeus Demand360+ data shows demand is still on the rise
On April 8th, there will be a total solar eclipse that traverses North America. Being able to witness this from land is incredibly rare, with astronomers at NASA saying that it could be as long as 375 years before a similar event occurs in this North American pathway.
Over the past few months, Amadeus has been tracking the impact of the eclipse on hotel booking patterns across America using forward-looking business intelligence data from Demand360+. The highlights from the latest data drawn on February 29, 2024, are as follows:
Average hotel occupancy across the 9 markets of Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, Little Rock, AR, Poplar Buff, MO, Paducah, KY, Evansville, IN, Cleveland, OH, Erie, PA, Buffalo, NY, Burlington, VT has now risen from an average of 12% on April 1st 2024 to an average of 69% on April 7th 2024. Smaller towns like Erie and Burlington are seeing that 89% and 88% (respectively) of their hotel rooms are already booked (see chart below).
Data suggests average daily rates (ADR) have also increased significantly because of the eclipse, averaging $170 more than the same day last year. Currently, rates will hit a high of $404 in Burlington which is 183% more than the same day in 2023. On average, hoteliers can see a 196% increase in their rates when comparing the start of the week (April 1) to the end of the week in preparation for the eclipse (April 7).
Amadeus Demand360+ data as of February 29, 2024:
| Market | Hotel occupancy currently booked for April 7, 2024 | Occupancy currently booked for April 1, 2024 | Occupancy on April 7, 2023* for comparison | Peak ADR for the eclipse (April 7 or 8) | ADR set for the same day in 2023 | % ADR increase over the course of the week from April 1 to April 7, 2024 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | 59% | 16% | 12% | $166 | $76 | 76% |
| Little Rock, AR | 46% | 11% | 7% | $194 | $41 | 128% |
| Poplar Buff, MO | 90% | 6% | 8% | $345 | $71 | 321% |
| Paducah, KY | 56% | 7% | 5% | $226 | $91 | 187% |
| Evansville, IN | 44% | 9% | 7% | $184 | $75 | 112% |
| Cleveland, OH | 74% | 14% | 10% | $195 | $76 | 190% |
| Erie, PA | 89% | 11% | 8% | $255 | $47 | 307% |
| Buffalo, NY | 78% | 15% | 10% | $250 | $73 | 195% |
| Burlington, VT | 88% | 20% | 15% | $404 | $143 | 250% |
| Averages | 69% | 12% | 9% | $247 | $77 | 196% |
The average occupancy across the areas tracked has risen 10% from when the last insights were shared by Amadeus in December. ADR has continued to rise too, averaging a 7% increase from when the data was last examined (see charts above and below).
Amadeus Demand360+ data as of December 14, 2023:
| Market | December 2023 hotel occupancy booked for April 7, 2024 | ADR in December for the eclipse dates (April 7 or 8) |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | 43% | $139 |
| Little Rock, AR | 39% | $173 |
| Poplar Bluff, MO | 78% | $285 |
| Paducah, KY | 48% | $236 |
| Evansville, IN | 43% | $155 |
| Cleveland, OH | 55% | $182 |
| Erie, PA | 83% | $264 |
| Buffalo, NY | 61% | $219 |
| Burlington, VT | 80% | $420 |
| Averages | 59% | $230 |
Alison Guillot is the External Communications Manager at Amadeus. Connect with Alison on LinkedIn.