NewHavenBIZ

12 n e w h a v e n B I Z | J u n e 2 0 2 2 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m By Norman Bell N ew Haven hotels are roaring back from the dark days of the pan- demic, largely thanks to pent-up demand in leisure travel. "We're hopping," says Dana Zimmerman, director of sales and marketing at the Omni New Haven at Yale, as she scrambled to accommodate the annual rush of Yale's commencement weekend. But the comeback is uneven, cautions Ginny Kozlo- wski, executive director of the Connecticut Lodging Association. In March, the latest numbers available, Connecti- cut's 40,000 hotel rooms were 55% booked at an average rate of $117.41. at's a marked improvement from the past two years and is comparable to 2019. Still, strong weekends and slow weekdays leave plenty of room for future gains, hotel officials say. Business travel remains slow, Kozlowski says, point- ing to the long tail of pandemic effects. ere are indications businesses are still leery of the potential liability of employees contracting COVID while attending a meeting or convention. ey're doing more online meetings, just as they've been slow to bring employees back into the office full time. And the lack of office workers downtown has a ripple effect across the hospitality industry, Kozlowski says. Both Zimmerman and Kozlowski say they expect a slow return of business travelers, likely meaning it will be 2023 before that sector returns to pre-pandemic levels. Until then, Zimmerman has her hands full with a rush of weekend events filling the Omni's 22,000 square feet of meeting space, the largest in New Haven. She explains she's had to hire an additional event coordinator to keep up with the "off-the-charts" demand for weddings and galas, reunions and bar mitzvahs. People want to get out and be social again, she says. She described the recent Mother's Day brunch as "amazing" and said the hotel's catering staff has been extra busy. It's a phenomenon that is showing itself nationally in leisure travel that's already above pre-pandemic levels. New competition Kozlowski is bullish on the upcoming summer sea- son. Sure, inflation is going to be a drag on demand, she says, but the state's gas tax moratorium will help. She's seeing no need for special promotions to drive business in the months ahead. Over at the shiny new 165-room Hotel Marcel, everything was in place on May 16 as the renovated property officially debuted. So far bookings at the New Haven hotel, which overlooks Interstates 95 and 91 and the Long Wharf district, have been strong, and the hotel staff has got- ten lots of positive feedback, said Susan Norz, director of sales and marketing. "e community, the universities, the sustainability community … it's sort of overwhelming in a positive way," Norz said. "We're going to be successful because everyone wants us to be." Westport developer Bruce Becker opened the hotel in time for the rush of visitors around graduation and alumni gatherings at area universities. Part of Hilton's Tapestry Collection, the Marcel joins e Study at Yale, e Blake and Graduate New Haven as part of the Elm City's boutique hotel scene. Rates at the Marcel started at $218 on Hilton's website for opening night and ranged up to $324 for a king bed in a corner room. Bookings have been bolstered by Hilton's loyalty program, Norz said. e hotel's new restaurant, BLDG, features farm-to- table cuisine at an accessible price point, Norz said. From his perch as chief communications officer at HotelPlanner.com, Darien native Philip Ballard sees a number of national trends at play in the New Haven market. His Florida-based firm specializes in booking group travel. He echoes Zimmerman's sense that Americans are eager to re-engage with their friends and families — Hotel Marcel Sales Director Susan Norz in the building's lobby on its first day in operation, May 16. New Haven hotels, with new competition, see rebound from pandemic's low points Snapshot of CT lodging industry's health March Occupancy Average daily rate 2022 55.5% $117.41 2021 47.8% $88.61 2020 32.9% $100.99 2019 58.2% $112.86 Source: CT Lodging Association PHOTO | LIESE KLEIN

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