Sonoma County hotel revenues hit a record $310 million

Sonoma County hotel revenues climbed 8.6 percent last year to a record $309.8 million, travel research company STR reported Friday.

Hotel revenues have more than doubled since 2009, when they totaled $135 million. Such growth helps explain why the hospitality sector has been a significant engine of economic growth for the county during the past eight years.

Three county hotels burned in the October wildfires, and fire survivors filled the remaining lodging properties in the fall in a scramble for temporary housing.

The county’s average room rate last year was $171 a night, an increase of 4.9 percent from 2016. Occupancy averaged ?77.2 percent, compared to ?77.4 percent a year earlier.

STR last month tracked results for 6,283 hotel rooms in the county, down from 6,648 in September.

Robert Digitale