Hotel occupancy numbers continue to slide

Newly released figures show that hotel occupancy kept dropping in July, both in Western New York and across the country, as the economy continued to take its toll on the hospitality industry.

According to monthly data compiled by Smith Travel Research of Nashville, hotel occupancy in Buffalo and Erie County fell 9.7 percent in July and 8.8 percent for the year to date. In hard numbers, Buffalo and Erie County's hotel occupancy was 77.5 percent in July and 61 percent for the full year.

Buffalo's numbers have been affected by the national economic slowdown, but downtown, in July, also saw the opening of the 150-room Embassy Suites in downtown Buffalo. The Embassy Suites added to the region's supply of hotel rooms.

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