Portland hospitality industry 'on a rocket ship' to recovery, Travel Portland says
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The local hospitality industry, which includes businesses like hotels, short-term property rentals and other travel related services, saw an increase in demand during the 2024 fiscal year.
The summer of 2023 was a dud for Portland's hospitality industry compared to competing cities that hosted Taylor Swift’s national tour. However, Portland rebounded in 2024, Travel Portland President Jeff Miller told city commissioners on Oct. 16. Between June and August, Portland hotels saw a significant increase in revenue and the number of rooms sold compared to recent years.
“This points to a rebound in progress,” Miller said. “Great news for Portland and our hotel partners. … The airport hotels and all short-term rentals together represent 33% of the revenue, which is surprising to a lot of people.”
Travel Portland strategist Megan Conway told city commissioners that a survey commissioned by the non-profit organization shows an improvement in Portland’s appeal as a vacation destination in the last year-and-a-half. The tone of Portland news coverage also improved.
“The general tone of media coverage saw a 10-point gain in positivity this quarter, potentially due to national media coverage around our new WNBA franchise, ongoing coverage of our food scene, and a summer full of events,” Conway said.
Travel Portland’s sales manager James Jessie said that the increase in summer tourism was strengthened by a series of advertising campaigns. The campaign included online video and billboard ads targeting residents in Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and Denver. The ads highlighted Portland businesses, outdoor activities and culture.
“We ran high-impact billboards like these, which promoted tax-free shopping to Seattleites and positioned Portland as a welcome escape from Sarmento’s summer heat,” Jessie said. “And we partnered with travel sites like Expedia, Priceline, tripadvisor and Booking.com to help convert lookers into bookers.”
The 2024 fiscal year was also a “phenomenal win” for future convention bookings, Jessie said. This year, the Travel Portland sales team had its second-best year ever for future convention bookings, adding 300,715 overnight bookings for future convention dates. The Travel Portland representatives said that this is the beginning of a big recovery for Portland’s hospitality industry.
“On a very, very, very positive note, what we saw in June, July, August is a harbinger of things to come,” Miller said. “When the convention calendar is back, and the fact that our team booked the second-most rooms they’ve ever booked for the future, when we hit [that period], we’re going to be on a rocket ship. So, hold on.”