Record Summer Travel Signals Economic Optimism: EcoPulse

Settling back into work after an end-of-summer trip? You’re not alone, which suggests many American consumers and business leaders feel more confident about the pace of the U.S. recovery.

With Labor Day marking the unofficial end to the travel season, the hotel industry is coming off its strongest three months of demand since at least 1987, said Jan Freitag, a senior vice president at STR Inc. From May through July, about 322 million room nights were sold, the most since the Hendersonville, Tennessee-based research company began tracking the figures. August data are scheduled for release Sept. 18, and preliminary information suggests another record month, he said.