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By Douglas Hanks, The Miami
HeraldMcClatchy-Tribune Regional News
Jan. 11, 2012--The already strong hotel rebound picked up steam this fall. Miami-Dade just released its November hotel tax report, and it includes some startling numbers. The countywide hotel tax is up 35 percent, while hotel taxes charged mostly on the Miami-Dade mainland are up 47 percent. This may be a fluke of timing or big events, and we'll see if a big chunk of those gains are given back in December. But there's no mistaking that the hotel industry as a whole has left the recession well behind in Miami-Dade. What's behind the trend lines? In Miami-Dade, room rates and occupancy levels both climbed about 7 percent 2011, even as room inventory crept higher by about 1 percent, according to Smith Travel data. Room rates haven't kept up with inflation in Broward, posting a less than 2 percent gain over 2010. That helps explain why Broward's market still hasn't reached previous peaks in hotel-tax collections. The Miami Herald's Economic Time Machine tracks 60 local indicators to measure South Florida's recovery from the Great Recession. Visit miamiherald.com/economic-time-machine for analysis of the latest economic news. ___ (c)2012 The Miami Herald Visit The Miami Herald at www.miamiherald.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |
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