Five-year high in 2013
Last year was the best since 2008 for Reno-Tahoe tourism, city officials announced last month. The region saw its first double-digit increase in room revenues in more than 10 years.
Room rates in Washoe County averaged more than $83 in 2013, up 9.6 percent from 2012. It was the biggest annual increase since 2007.
“After five years of little growth, Reno-Tahoe hotels and resorts enjoyed considerable improvements in taxable revenues,” said Chris Baum, CEO of the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority.
Special events helped push up the numbers. The U.S. Bowling Congress’s Open and Women’s Championships filled the rooms last spring. August saw the popular Hot August Nights event, and introduced the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction, which sold $14.2 million worth of vintage automobiles.
Room rates and visitation slowed in December, possibly due to unseasonable cold weather. Ski lodges are dealing with the ongoing drought with artificial snow.
“The quality of the snow is quite good,” Baum told the Reno Gazette-Journal. “Hopefully, we can salvage something in the first quarter from a ski perspective. I’ve also heard that people are out paddleboarding or out bike riding, things that might typically be a fall or spring activity, (but) now can be done in the first quarter.
“It’s just a different variety or mix of sports that you might assume in January or February,” he said. “Hopefully, Mother Nature will cooperate with us through the rest of the winter.”
