July a strong month for San Diego hotels

By Lori Weisberg, UNION-TRIBUNE
Originally published August 20, 2010 at 6:10 p.m., updated August 21, 2010 at 6 a.m.

San Diego County hotels performed well during July
For San Diego County hotels, July is often a month of the year that is as good as it gets, and this year appears to be no different, with the month registering strong growth in occupancies and revenues, as well as high room rates.

According to data provided by Smith Travel Research, July showed an uptick in the all-important categories of occupancy, average daily rates and revenues generated per available rooms, despite a still struggling tourism industry.

On average, San Diego County hotels had an occupancy rate of 83.3 percent in July, compared to 79.3 percent a year earlier, the report shows. And revenues per available room, which is a common measure of a hotel’s economic health, were $117.57, up over the previous July’s $111.59.

“We really are doing so much better than last year,â€