Courtesy Discover Saratoga
BY Darryl Leggieri
What an eventful year it has been. As we moved through spring and summer, and vaccines became more accessible, we began to reconnect in person. With most everything open, our destination experienced strong leisure travel demand, and we needed it.
Visitors came for the thrill of Saratoga Race Course, the excitement of Saratoga Performing Arts Center and Live Nation shows, and the natural beauty of our parks, cultural arts, museums, and thriving downtown.
Our lodging partners had a strong season with some even setting revenue records. The same can be said for our restaurants and retailers. Visitors came primarily from a three-hour radius, mostly driving to experience our charming destination. Many of whom discovered us for the first-time, electing to stay within New York state.
Meetings and events resumed in 2021 and attendees felt comfortable to travel and meet face-to-face once again. Corporate groups, associations, weddings, and the sports market were happening. Many of these events had been postponed from 2020 and were now meeting safely. These events were vital to our local economy. Not only do these event attendees occupy hotel rooms, but they also shop and dine at our local businesses, creating revenue and jobs for our community.
The Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center reopened in July after being shut down for over a year. Once it was safe to reopen and visitors resumed travel, we knew it was time to open. We feel it is critical to have a place in our community where locals and visitors alike can go to gain important information about our city’s history, and all the amazing attributes that it has to offer.
Saratoga County had robust growth in 2021 compared to 2020. Looking back over the past 12 months, demand has increased by 37.6 percent, occupancy is up 32.7 percent, average daily rate (ADR) is up 34.1 percent, and revenue per available room (REVPAR) is up 78 percent. The occupancy and average daily rate that our lodging partners were able to command shows a strong return to our historical patterns (2019). That is very exciting news as we enter 2022.
Looking ahead to 2022:
It has been a turbulent two years for the meetings and events industry. We are hopeful for a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, but realistically we are just not there yet. But there is still reason to be optimistic.
While January began with some cancellations and postponements, we believe meeting planners see the COVID-19 surge as a brief setback in what looks to be a very promising year. On top of that, we will continue to see a tremendous surge in leisure domestic travel, which may surpass pre-pandemic spend volume for the second year!
Safety is still a major concern. We must continue to educate our meeting planners and leisure travelers about how Saratoga is putting their health and safety first, as well as that of our employees and our community.
Vaccinations and testing are keeping the meetings and events industry moving forward. Our lodging partners, event venues, and vendors realize the importance of complying with health guidelines, meeting protocols, and protecting everyone as best as they can.
This is where Discover Saratoga comes in. The mission of the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau, operating under the Discover Saratoga brand, is to deliver a positive impact on the local economy by promoting and marketing Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County as a world-class destination for meetings, conventions, and groups.
We serve as a hub that connects visitors with local venues and businesses managed by our 500-plus members. As a key economic development engine for our community, we drive millions of tourism and event dollars into our local economy each year. This makes our community stronger, and helps our families, our friends, and our neighbors. The work we do is critical to the future of our city and our county. Here’s to a healthy, happy, and safe 2022.