The Fourth of July travel forecast looks promising for Durango hotels and short-term vacation rentals, but an emerging trend has caught the attention of tourism professionals: More travelers are booking rooms at the last minute.
“We have an extremely short booking window. I’m talking 24 to 48 hours,” said Barbara Bowman, interim executive director of Visit Durango.
She said she suspects travelers are dithering because of uncertainty in the economy.
“People are a little bit fearful,” she said. “They still want to travel, but they’re holding off and waiting to book until the last minute.”
Strater Hotel General Manager Tori Ossola has a different theory. Based on her research, she said visitors associate Southwest Colorado with the “wild West” and may be operating on a sense of spontaneity and discovery.
“We’re such a beautiful little town. We have a lot of resources,” she said. “We have a lot of things that they’re looking for – restaurants and shops and beautiful scenery and all of that. They’re just sort of discovering us.”
It’s common, she said, for travelers to walk into the Strater Hotel, phones in hand and TripAdvisor pulled up, saying they just found Durango and decided to stay for a night – or several.
Originally from New England, Ossola said she was surprised to see so many people inquiring about lodging for same-day lodging in Durango. Back home, she said it’s common for guests to book reservations well in advance because finding accommodations can be hard in more densely populated areas.
She first noticed the last-minute booking trend several years ago, but said it has become more pronounced this year. People of all ages have made bookings on short notice, but younger travelers appear more comfortable with it.
“They have confidence in their lodging for the evening,” she said.
“That is just amazing to us,” she added. “… We generally put a sandwich board out on the sidewalk inviting people in to take a look at our living museum (the nearly 140-year-old hotel) and to stay the night.”
Bowman said she expects the season to bring a “shorter drive market” – shorter drives, shorter stays, smaller spending and shorter booking windows.
That doesn’t mean travelers are looking to spend the bare minimum, she said. Rather, they are looking for the most value.
The city and local businesses are seeking to capitalize on the trend.
Travelers staying at least three nights Sunday to Thursday in Durango or La Plata County can visit the Durango Welcome Center to collect a free $100 gift card redeemable at more than 100 Durango businesses, according to Visit Durango.
“People want value for their money,” she said. “They still want to travel as far, and they may not spend as much. If we can influence them to stay one night longer and spend $100 downtown, the economic impact will be far greater.”
As of Tuesday, Ossola said five rooms were still available for the Fourth of July weekend, but she expects they’ll be booked more than 48 hours in advance.
The city of Durango’s Independence Day fireworks show was called off last week because of persistent hot, dry and windy weather, but plenty of activities remain for visitors in Durango and the surrounding areas.
cburney@durangoherald.com
