Sarasota Tourism - More people are coming to the Sarasota area on vacation than ever before.
In 2014, Sarasota County topped a 70 percent hotel occupancy rate for the first time in history, said Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota, the county’s tourism agency.
The rate ended the year at a record high of 72 percent.
“No wonder we have all these hotel developers coming to town,” Haley said. “Leisure travel was up in 2014, and combine that with our increase in sporting events during non-peak times of the year, and we get record-breaking results.”
Average daily hotel rates also rose in 2014, to $159.61 per night, up 6 percent compared with 2013.
Sarasota County’s occupancy rates have been on an upward trajectory since 2009. The county ended 2013 with an average of 68 percent — at the time the highest level since 2005.
Haley attributed the new high in 2014 to a renewed push for more leisure travelers, ongoing sports-tourism promotions and cultural events.
Youth soccer tournaments in December at Lakewood Ranch’s Premier Sports Complex drew families to the region during one of the slower months for tourism. Swimming and other sporting events did the same during the summer.
“That’s really helped make us a year-round destination,” Haley said.
The Visit Sarasota team predicts another strong year in 2015, and developers are betting the tourism increases will continue.
Sarasota has three new hotels under construction in the downtown area, which Haley said already are sparking interest in conference and business-travel bookings.
- Aloft, a 138-room hotel and apartment building under construction at Palm Avenue, is expected to open in October. 
- A 255-room Westin going up on Sarasota’s bay front will likely open in 2016.
- An 18-story Embassy Suites hotel is in the early construction stages on North Tamiami Trail.
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“The timing of these hotels is perfect,” Haley said. “They’re opening one right after another, and we’ll be working on an intensive marketing campaign to make sure we continue to see these strong occupancy rates.”
Sarasota Herald Tribune 2/17/2015
