Tampa, Fla., has led the way in destinations when it comes to the recovery of group business since 2019.
This is according to new data from the Hospitality Group and Business Performance Index, a collaboration between Knowland, a provider of insights into meetings and events for hospitality, and Amadeus, a provider of hospitality technology.
Data from the index’s third quarter report shows the Top 25 markets have recovered 99.1 percent for group business compared to the same time in 2019, while the Top 13 markets have recovered 100 percent. According to a news release, the index combines event data from Knowland with hotel booking data from Amadeus to provide both individual and aggregate views of key drivers of hotel performance.
Joining Tampa-which has recovered 116.8 percent of group business compared to four years ago-in the Top 10 are Orlando at #7 (108.2 percent), Dallas at #8 (107.8 percent), Houston at #9 (107.7 percent), and Washington, D.C. at #11 (104.5 percent).
Other key insights from the index include:
- Austin, Texas and Nashville achieved 145 percent of event business compared to 2019.
- Miami led the negotiated segment with a 119 percent recovery of 2019 levels.
Launched in June, the index was designed to help hotel sales teams and operators identify the top markets driving group business, enabling hotel sales teams to target these markets and drive increased sales strategically. It compares figures quarterly to same-time performance before the pandemic in 2019, rolling up the data to score the overall “health” of the industry. It also includes filters to view top event market segments and industries booking group events, allowing hoteliers, DMOs, and CVBs to track trends and adapt their business strategies accordingly.
