Group Demand Recovery Lags Behind Transient

 Group lodging demand in the United States has not recovered at the pace of transient demand, according to HotelNewsNow.com and its parent company, data provider STR. Based on the number of room nights sold, group and transient demand were on similar paths just after the low point of March 2009; but in the second half of 2010, group demand hit a point that it hasn't surpassed. According to STR, group demand actually fell by 3.6 percent during the course of 2012. Additionally, data indicates that STR's top 25 markets no longer dominate meetings travel to the extent they did in 2007 -- indicating that business may be down overall, and/or that groups are meeting in smaller markets.