Unsold U.S. Hotel Rooms Near 1 Billion as Lodging Crisis Deepens
- Owners warn they’ll go under without federal relief bill
- Long recovery ahead even as vaccine portends better days
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As spiking Covid-19 cases further derail travel, the U.S. hotel industry is closing in on a bleak marker: One billion empty rooms for the year.
More than 962 million room nights have gone unsold through last week, according to lodging data firm STR. That’s about 46% more than all of last year. Based on current occupancy rates, the industry will pass 1 billion unsold rooms around Christmas, deepening a crisis for owners that may worsen before a Covid vaccine can fuel a recovery.