Whitefish lodging survey shows impact of pandemic

Bookings at most Whitefish lodging establishments are down about 25 to 50% for each month of the summer, according to a survey recently conducted by the Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The survey, sent out the end of June, asked hotel and motel owners to compare booking numbers from summer 2019 to summer 2020 for June, July, August and September, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The survey compiled responses from 13 lodging locations in Whitefish. The responses indicated significant decreases in bookings for most hoteliers each month, with the worst of the declines reported for June.

July seemed to be the strongest month, according to survey responses, and a small percentage of respondents indicated their reservations have actually increased in August and September of this year compared to the same time period last year.

The findings reflect the challenges of the ongoing pandemic, but they also seemed to suggest some positive momentum in the local lodging industry compared to similar surveys conducted in the spring.

“The past three months have been really bad,” reported Tracie Tyree at the Inn at Whitefish. “Now it’s picking up a tiny bit.”

In June, all of the respondents indicated bookings were down at least 25% compared to the previous June. However, these dismal numbers are still an improvement from May 2020, when all of the respondents reported bookings were down at least 50% compared to the year before.

“The beginning of June was super, super slow,” reported Alyssa Morales, the assistant manager at The Duck Inn.

Rhonda Fitzgerald, one of the owners of The Garden Wall Inn, agreed. “June was horrible,” she said.

The survey results showed 38.5% of respondents said bookings were down 25 to 50% for June; 20.8% said bookings were down 50 to 75%; and 30.8% said bookings were down 75% or more from last year’s statistics.

The survey also noted some lodging locations added reservations within a shorter booking window in June, compared to findings of previous monthly surveys conducted by the Chamber.

July, by contrast, seemed to be the most positive month, according to survey results.

“July has been better,” Fitzgerald noted. “Our experience is some people who had July reservations kept their reservations.”

Morales had a similar experience. She said July is typically The Duck Inn’s busiest month out of the year, and this year appears to be no exception.

Results showed 46% of survey respondents said bookings were down 25 to 50% for July; 23% said bookings were down 50 to 75%; and 30% said bookings were down 0 to 25% compared to the year before.

For August and September, the survey findings were more disparate.

August results showed 46% of respondents said bookings were down 25 to 50; 15.4% said bookings were down 50 to 75%; 15.4% said bookings were down 75% or more; 15.4% said bookings were down 0 to 25%; and 7.7% said bookings actually increased compared to August 2019.

“August and September do not look good for us,” Fitzgerald acknowledged. “For August, most reservations have canceled,” and she said there haven’t been any new reservations to fill those openings.

Morales said The Duck Inn numbers look to be about the same for both June and August this year. She said The Duck Inn usually starts to see cancellations about 30 days prior to the reservation date, so August cancellations are still rolling in.

Tyree doesn’t see any end in sight for The Inn at Whitefish, which is currently operating at only about 20% capacity. “It still remains to be seen,” she said, noting a lot of cancellations have been taking place the day of the reservation, when the visitor simply doesn’t show up.

September findings displayed the widest array of responses in the survey.

September survey results showed 23% of respondents said bookings were down 25 to 50% for September; 23% said bookings were down 50 to 75%; 30% said bookings were down 75% or more and 23% said bookings had gone up this year.

Fitzgerald is placing her hope in Flathead County’s continued low numbers of coronavirus cases and local efforts to stop the spread of the disease. She said drastic measures like the city of Whitefish’s ban against out-of-town lodging in May “made people feel safe” to travel to the area. If Whitefish is able to “maintain a safe record” and thereby encourage travelers, Fitzgerald believes The Garden Wall Inn might be able to recoup its losses in August and September.

She said precautions such as widespread mask use and limitations on travel during the first spike in Flathead cases are “good for business.”

Tyree, on the other hand, felt The Inn at Whitefish has benefited from relaxed restrictions compared to other areas.

“More people from out of town are calling and asking about our policies,” Tyree said. “They’re relieved we’re more lax. If we didn’t [have looser regulations], I don’t know if they’d make reservations at all.”

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at (406)-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.