Albuquerque hotels get their biggest boost this time of year thanks to Balloon Fiesta.
But, the experts say the rest of the year is a much different story with too many rooms for all the tourists.
“We’re very fortunate to be sold out all of Balloon Fiesta this year. So, people come Pre-Balloon fiesta and also stay after,” Hotel Albuquerque General Manager Adrian Montoya said.
It’s a welcome boost for the already popular hotel in Old Town.
“This hotel typically runs anywhere from 70 to 80 percent occupancy,” Montoya said.
But outside of fiesta, the luxury hotel is bringing in more people on a regular basis than many others that have too many rooms for the number of tourists coming to the Duke City.
“On a year-round basis, 66 percent doesn’t produce a good bottom line,” Greater Albuquerque Innkeepers Association President Charlie Gray said about the city’s hotel occupancy rate.
According to Statista, that occupancy rate is about five percent below the national rate for 2018.
The GAIA adds that Albuquerque’s convention and tourist business make it competitive with cities like Tucson, Denver and Austin.
But the rate is not even close to the big cities, bringing in 86-percent occupancy in New York and about 81 percent in Los Angeles, according to Statista.
Those cities will also charge tourists hundreds more per night than Albuquerque’s average daily rate of $81.
But when the tourists are in Albuquerque, the hotels say all the Duke City has to offer gets them to come back year after year.
“Thousands of people coming to enjoy our food, culture. Just lovely to have all these guests here in our beautiful city,” Montoya stated.
Of course, the demand for rooms now lets hotels boost their prices.
For example, Hotel Albuquerque’s junior suite with a balcony normally runs for $193, but this weekend is more than double the price at about $450.
