Lee hotel revenues jump

FORT MYERS — Hoteliers in Lee County boosted room rates in December as they filled more rooms, according to the latest data from the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau.

Revenues per available room, an important financial gauge that is a function of occupancy and average daily rate, rose 17% to $84.50 in December compared with December 2013, according to STR data published by the bureau.

Hotel occupancy in December rose to 67.5% in December compared with 58.5% in the same month in 2013. Meanwhile, the average daily rate rose 4.4% to $128.6 in that same period, according to STR data.

The jump in occupancies corresponds to rising airport traffic. Southwest Florida International Airport saw 765,288 passengers pass through its gates in December, an increase of 4% over the same month in 2013. That total was the most passengers of any December in the airport's 31 years.