Local hotel and motel owners are enjoying a strong start to the tourist season after weathering Mesa Verde’s closure in October and recent sewer rate hikes.
“We’ve been booked out every night since Memorial Day weekend,” said James Parks, owner of the Cortez Knights Inn.
The White Eagle Inn and Family Lodge broke sales records in April and May and are on track to do it again in June, owner Steve Coy said. Coy has been in business for more than eight years.
The city lodgers tax tells a similar story. In March, the city collected about $9,000, up from $5,000 in 2013. In April, the city saw a slight increase up to about $14,000 from about $13,000, according to city documents. The lodgers tax is 2 percent.
This year, the city expects to collect $187,000 in lodgers tax, which will fund Mesa Verde Country, the organization that markets Montezuma County. The city has also budgeted $149,000 from the general fund for the marketing organization.
A strong start to the tourism season is welcome news to many after Mesa Verde’s closure Oct. 1–16. The park’s closure drained $3 million in visitor spending total from the area, according to a report by the National Parks Service.
Best Western’s general manager, Ignacio Martinez, said that last year the hotel saw a $30,000 decrease in revenue in 2013 compared with the year before. He attributed the decrease to the Mesa Verde closure.
Sewer rate hikes implemented in January now base fees on the number of units in a hotel rather than the water consumption. These fees are now being reviewed by the Sanitation District Board.
“The sewer district pulling their fiasco made it really tough for most hotels,” Parks said.
Parks said he saw an increase in sales in spring as more Europeans visited sooner than usual.
As the season has progressed, he has sent people away because of the high volume of workers who have come to in mineral and gas exploration.
The peak tourist season lasts through August, and all three operators were optimistic.
Parks said his reservation numbers look strong through July, and White Eagle owner Coy hopes to have his third record-breaking year in a row.
“This year, is looking to be a good year,” Martinez said.
mshinn@cortezjournal.com
