Vail Lodging Occupancy Surges 9.5% as Strong Group Sales Drive Summer Recovery

The wind off the Gore Range doesn’t care about your tax brackets or your hotel occupancy rates. It just blows, cold and relentless, carving out the skeleton of the valley until the snow melts and the tourists arrive. But this spring, the air in Vail feels different. It feels lighter.

Lodging reservations are pacing ahead of last year, and the local business community is breathing a sigh of relief that has been building since the winter of 2023-24. That was the winter to forget — a season defined by a lack of snow and a lack of crowds. Now, the numbers are bouncing back, and they’re bouncing back fast.

Alison Wadey, executive director of the Vail Chamber & Business Association, polled her room at the most recent board meeting. Every single lodging board member, from Lionshead to Golden Peak, reported strong numbers. They’re excited. And that excitement isn’t just anecdotal fluff. Chris Romer, president and CEO of the Vail Valley Partnership, confirmed the trend with hard data: lodging occupancy for the summer season in Vail is up 9.5% compared to the same time last year.

That’s not a rounding error. That’s a trend line pointing up.

The biggest driver? Groups. Specifically, the kind of group sales that fill conference rooms and banquet halls, not just hotel beds. Wadey pointed to changes made by the Vail Local Marketing District Advisory Committee regarding group sales. The result? More groups in May than we’ve seen in years. It’s great business for a time of year that used to be a lull.

And May is just the warm-up. June is poised to start with a bang, thanks to the GoPro Mountain Games kicking off the first week of the month. The timing helps. The kickoff concert on June 3 features Trey Anastasio at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. That’s a huge draw. GoPro has three other concerts too, featuring the Allman Betts Family Band and some big-name DJs running from June 4-7. The kickoff to the summer is going to be great, and that energy ripples outward.

Romer noted a year-over-year increase in mid-May and Memorial Day weekend. That isn’t peak summer season, but it shows resilience. It shows that people want to come here.

March sales tax collections didn’t fall off as precipitously as officials expected, given the lack of snowfall. A big spring, summer, and fall in Vail could help ease the pain for local lodges, stores, and restaurants. The pain of a snowless winter is being offset by the promise of a busy summer.

Wadey has been talking to event organizers for everything from lacrosse tournaments to beer and wine festivals. They’re pacing ahead of last year in ticket sales and registrations for a whole host of events throughout the summer months. “It seems like all the events and tournaments and everything are filling in nicely and that’s the most we can hope for,” Wadey said. She sent out an email to her membership: “Hey, it looks all signs indicate it’s going to be a really strong summer.”

People are booking. People are coming. And the pipeline is full.

Picture this: The Dobson Arena, freshly redone and costing $55.4 million, stands ready. It’s a symbol of investment, of confidence. Wadey is hopeful that the completion of the arena will continue to drive group sales. It’s not just about the games. It’s about the events. It’s about the people filling the seats.

The numbers don’t lie. The bookings don’t lie. The excitement doesn’t lie.

Outside, the sun is hitting the peaks. The snow is gone. The valley is waking up. And for the first time in a while, the hotels are full.