Oct. 21–The near-record tourism season that has filled Colorado Springs area hotels most of the year continued into the fall, a period when the industry typically slows as students return to school, according to the Rocky Mountain Lodging Report.

The 82 percent occupancy rate in September was up from 78.2 percent in September 2015 and the highest for September since 1996, when local hotels filled 86.4 percent of their rooms. The occupancy rate has been up from the same month a year earlier every month since August 2015 except for May when it was unchanged from May 2015 largely as a result of a later-than-usual Air Force Academy commencement. The occupancy rate for the first nine months of the year was 72.7 percent, up from 69 percent during the same period last year.

"September certainly continued the trend we have seen for the entire season, and we are hearing from our counterparts across the nation that the entire travel industry is performing really well right now," said Doug Price, CEO of the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Typically we see a dropoff in seasonal business this time of year, but key September events like the Labor Day Liftoff, the International Association of Fire Fighters' annual memorial service and the U.S. Olympic Assembly all brought a nice boost."

The tourism industry's strength this year also was reflected in the area's average room rate, which rose 7.9 percent from September 2015 to $117.79. The area's average room rate has increased from the same month a year earlier every month since July 2014. The average for the first nine months of the year is up 7.3 percent from the same period a year ago to $109.70 with rates in limited-service hotels that don't offer extensive amenities increasing at more than twice the rate as full-service hotels.

The Broadmoor hotel and Cheyenne Mountain Resort and many ski areas are included in the "other resorts" category, with a September occupancy rate of 55.6 percent and an average room rate of $231.73. The occupancy rate for that category in the first nine months of the year rose to 57.5 percent from 56.9 percent during the same period in 2015, while the average room rate edged up 2.9 percent to $265.58.

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