New Orleans hotel occupancy numbers surged over the Halloween weekend, spurring optimism that the city is set to see a consistent return to pre-pandemic tourism numbers. GNO Inc. President Michael Hecht told WWL occupancy was over 90%.
“It felt like it has been a lifetime ago that we had that level of energy, that number of people, and that joie de vivre,” said Hecht who noted occupancy rates languished under 50% for much of the pandemic.
Earlier this year during what would have been Carnival Season occupancy rates dipped below 30%.
Hecht said data on future hotel bookings is showing tourists are growing increasingly confident in traveling to the Crescent City in the future.
“We are seeing convention bookings coming up, we are seeing the demand for hotel stays is beginning to pipeline out, which means people are making reservations earlier,” said Hecht.
While the trend towards pre-pandemic levels of tourism is good news for the city economy as a whole, one vital sector is having trouble fully cashing in on the recovery.
“In general when I talk to the folks in the restaurant industry they are seeing great demand, they’re full,” said Hecht. “So their numbers are good in terms of people wanting reservations, but the challenge they are having is labor. So for some restaurants that are constraining the number of seats they can seat at any one time.”
