More People Staying At New Orleans Hotels
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans hotel operators say occupancy is the highest in more than a decade. They credit refurbished hotels, a jam-packed calendar and continued recovery from the levee breaches after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Room rates are up, too. The Times-Picayune reports that Smith Travel Research quotes the city's average daily hotel rate at $154 — the highest since February 2002, when it averaged $159.40 a night.
Rates through April of this year averaged $148.61. That's 12.6 percent better than same four months last year.
Major events including the BCS Championship game and the NCAA Men's Final Four helped.
New Orleans produced the greatest percent change in average daily rate from April 2011 to April 2012 compared with other cities in the top 25 hotel markets.
More From News Talk 96.5 KPEL
![Earthquake Centered Near New York City Rattles Northeast](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2018/07/E4J7DD.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![School Shooting Rocks Perry, Iowa Community on First Day Back from Holiday Break](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2022/03/attachment-Do-Not-Cross-Police-Tape-Photo-courtesy-of-David-Von-Diemar-jM6Y2nhsAtk-unsplash.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Louisiana Republicans Are in Court to Fight Efforts to Establish New Black Congressional District](http://townsquare.media/site/180/files/2022/04/attachment-gettyimages-1219410516.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Hunter Biden Pleads Not Guilty to Three Federal Gun Charges Filed After His Plea Deal Collapse](http://townsquare.media/site/180/files/2021/04/GettyImages-Hunter-Biden.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Gaetz Says He Will Seek to Oust McCarthy as Speaker This Week, McCarthy Says ‘Bring It On’](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2023/10/attachment-Getty-Images-Matt-Gaetz.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California dies at age 90](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2023/09/attachment-Dianne-Feinstein-Getty.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![New York Judge Rules Donald Trump Defrauded Banks, Insurers While Building Real Estate Empire](http://townsquare.media/site/34/files/2022/03/attachment-GettyImages-1330466317.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Donald Trump Described Pentagon Plan of Attack and Shared Classified Map, Indictment Says](http://townsquare.media/site/34/files/2022/03/attachment-GettyImages-1330466317.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Jury Finds Trump Liable for Sexual Abuse, Awards Accuser $5M](http://townsquare.media/site/34/files/2021/06/GettyImages-1304610005.jpg?w=980&q=75)