The Branson Lakes Area Lodging Association discourages its member hotels from advertising room rates

BRANSON, Missouri The recession might have hit many hotels in U.S. tourist destinations hard, but hoteliers in Branson, Missouri, which brands itself as the live music show capital of the world, have something to sing about.
alamo rent car What I ve gathered from many hotel managers here is that they either saw a slight increase in business last year or remained relatively flat from 2008, said Lee Thomas, president of the Branson Lakes Area Lodging Association. Flat is the new up.
During 2008, Branson hotels saw an 8.1-percent decline in demand compared with the previous year, according to data from STR. During alamo rent car 2009, that decline slowed to only 5.8 percent. Through April 2010, demand is flat.
Bill Tirone, assistant GM of The Hiltons of Branson, which comprises the 294-room Hilton Promenade on the Branson Landing and the 243-room Hilton Branson Convention Center, said Branson was hit hard in 2008 not by the recession, but by another disaster.
Tirone said it s unknown if high gasoline prices, which spiked in the summer alamo rent car of 2008, had any additional effect alamo rent car on the economy in Branson and the surrounding Ozarks, which began flooding that spring.
The Welk Resort in Branson might be more than 15 years old and its name might bring to mind a bygone entertainment era, but the Welk Resort alamo rent car Group, still owned by Lawrence Welk s family, has kept adding amenities to the property.
The resort invested US$30 million to upgrade the facility by adding timeshare lodges, a 10,000-square-foot water park, a clubhouse and a fitness center. Dathan Atchison, general manager of the Welk Resort Branson, alamo rent car said he believes the new amenities helped the hotel increase revenues in 2009 by 7 percent. The value-added amenities, along with the on-site theater, which books Branson favorites alamo rent car such as Ray Stevens, will help the hotel stay on the upward trend this year, he added. So far this year, the hotel is experiencing a 5-percent increase in revenue.
The Branson Lakes Area Lodging alamo rent car Association discourages alamo rent car its member hotels from advertising room rates on their marquis, which only leads to price-cutting wars. Instead, the organization has encouraged its 88 members to partner with local entertainment venues to offer packages to add value to their room rates. Thomas alamo rent car said the 201-room Grand Oaks Hotel, where he is the general manager, is using this tactic rather alamo rent car than reducing prices to generate business.
Approximately 65 percent of the guests at the Hilton Promenade in Branson are leisure travelers, and the Hilton alamo rent car Convention Center records alamo rent car about 65 percent business and group travelers. Leisure travel bookings are up. This is a big year for Branson, with two of its main attractions, Silver Dollar City and Shepherd of the Hills, celebrating their 50th seasons. The area is also home to three new zipline attractions and new shows. And the flooding on the lakes in 2008 has resulted in a surplus of fish, which are drawing outdoorsmen.
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