Warwick mayor says hotel occupancy increased in Feb., March, April

WARWICK MAYOR Scott Avedisian is shown on the top level of the InterLink garage at 700 Jefferson Blvd. in February. T.F. Green Airport is in the background. Avedisian said hotel occupancy increased in February, March and April compared with last year. 
 / PBN FILE PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO
WARWICK MAYOR Scott Avedisian is shown on the top level of the InterLink garage at 700 Jefferson Blvd. in February. T.F. Green Airport is in the background. Avedisian said hotel occupancy increased in February, March and April compared with last year. / PBN FILE PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

WARWICK – Occupancy in the city’s 16 hotels increased significantly in February, March and April compared with the same time frame last year, according to Mayor Scott Avedisian.

Citing industry data, Avedisian said Warwick’s occupancy rose 11 percent in February, 15 percent in March and 10.3 percent in April, with revenue year-to-date 10 percent ahead of the same 2014 period.

“This is fantastic news for the city, particularly when you consider that every room that’s booked – and we have over 2,230 here in Warwick – translates into more than $400 invested in the local economy,” Avedisian said in a statement. “Our proximity to T.F. Green and the InterLink, regional marketing efforts by our Department of Tourism, Culture and Development, and collaboration with our hoteliers and others in the tourism industry are helping to attract more visitors to our community and the state as a whole.”

Karen A. Jedson, director of the city’s Department of Tourism, Culture and Development, said they brand Warwick as “an affordable, accessible gateway to all that Rhode Island has to offer.”

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“We are mindful that our consumers want the full Rhode Island experience, and are very excited that more tourists are taking advantage of Warwick’s central location and affordability,” she said.

Asked if the harsh winter weather in February and March had anything to do with the uptick in hotel occupancy rates, as stranded travelers at T.F. Green Airport would need to stay in area hotels, Jedson said while that could have generated some business, the increases were too high to attribute solely to weather. She said numerous events and shows were held over the past few months, including dog shows, and karate, softball and hockey tournaments, attracting people to Warwick.

She said the city marketing campaign to attract visitors is paying off.

“We are promoting Warwick as a central location first,” Jedson said.

Last year, a study commissioned by the city and the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau showed that 59 percent of leisure travelers in the area came from the Northeast, specifically Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut.

The city’s “Stay in Warwick, See Rhode Island” advertising campaign – television commercials, promotions and Facebook campaigns – has most recently been targeted at Connecticut travelers, as research showed that residents there were the most uncertain about a leisure trip to Rhode Island.

That effort, Avedisian said, has resulted in increased phone and email requests for visitor information and increased visitors to the department’s Facebook page.

The campaign also has been used in the Boston area to continue to increase the city’s exposure as a destination. It capitalizes on the fact that the MBTA comes into the InterLink, making Warwick a convenient place to stay.

Avedisian also noted that the department works collaboratively with the state’s other regional tourism districts to market the state and to increase sports tourism in Rhode Island.

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