2024 Year-End Summary:
San Diego’s hotel market experienced a typical year-end pattern, with demand declining sharply in the week leading up to Christmas but rebounding strongly as the year concluded.
- Week of December 15: Hotels sold 228,989 room nights, a steep decline of 80,000 room nights from the previous week. However, this was still 19,000 more room nights than the same period in 2023.
- Week of December 22: Demand surged to 286,638 room nights, falling about 20,000 short of the same week in 2023. Overall, the final two weeks of the year were comparable to 2023, delivering a solid close to 2024.
As expected, ADR mirrored demand, following the same seasonal pattern.
- Occupancy:
- Week of December 15: Averaged 50.3%, ranking San Diego 11th among the top 25 U.S. markets and 4th in the Western competitive set behind Los Angeles (56.8%), Orange County (55.8%), and Phoenix (53.4%).
- Week of December 22: Climbed to an average of 63.0%, improving San Diego’s rank to 8th among the top 25 and 3rd in the Western comp set, trailing Orange County (72.5%) and Los Angeles (also at 63.0%).
The average occupancy during the week of December 22 belied the weekend’s strength. Following Christmas, properties across the city achieved occupancies exceeding 80% on Friday and Saturday nights, a testament to robust leisure travel during the holiday season.
2025 Year-to-Date Snapshot:
San Diego’s hotel market started the new year on a high note. County properties sold 278,873 room nights during the first week of 2025, a notable increase of 40,000 room nights compared to the same week in 2024. While the calendar shift of the holiday likely contributed to some of this year-over-year difference (and influenced the final week of 2023), the numbers remain an encouraging sign for the year ahead.
- ADR: Average daily rates followed suit, reaching $179—$12 higher than the previous year.
- Occupancy: Averaged 61.3%, placing San Diego 8th among the top 25 U.S. markets and 3rd in the Western competitive set behind Orange County (66.8%) and Los Angeles (64.9%).
As with the Christmas week, these averages masked stronger midweek performance. Occupancy across the city began the week at roughly 70% on Sunday and peaked near 80% on New Year’s Eve before falling to 47% by Saturday, January 4. Downtown hotels led the charge, with occupancy approaching 90% on New Year’s Eve, followed closely by Mission Bay at nearly 85%.
View the complete hotel performance report through December 21 here.
View the complete hotel performance report through December 28 here.
View the complete hotel performance report through January 4 here.
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