MIAMI— The Miami Herald recently reported that Miami-Dade had the highest hotel occupancy rate out of the nation’s top 25 travel markets for the first five months of 2001. The county’s hotels were filled, on average, 75.6% during that period compared to the national average of 60.5%, according to the paper. Occupancy rates in New York fell to 74%, a 6.5 point drop from the first five months of 2000. Orlando fell to 71.6% against 76.5% from the year before. Worst hit was the San Francisco/San Mateo region, where hotel occupancy plummeted 10.3 points to 68.4%. Miami-Dade’s occupancy rates for January through May have orbited the 75th percentile for the past three years. Its hotels were filled 76.2% for those months in 2000 and 74.6% for 1999. The 1.4% drop from last year translates to an additional 616 vacant rooms. A solid turnout during Miami’s peak season brought the numbers up— the county’s average occupancy for May was 65.2%, ahead of the national mean. SOURCE: Miami Herald