May 24–After two consecutive months of declines, occupancy at hotels in Volusia County rose in April compared with the same month a year ago, according to statistics released Wednesday by the Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County.

The month also yielded increases in both average daily hotel room rates and revenue per available room, according to Mid-Florida Marketing & Research.

HOTEL GUESTS: Overall hotel occupancy was 73 percent in April, up about 9 percent from 67 percent for the same month in 2016, according to Mid-Florida Marketing & Research.

RATES ON THE RISE: The Volusia countywide average daily hotel room rate for the month jumped 6 percent year-over-year to $123.91, compared with $117.30 in April 2016. Revenue per available room increased to $90.41, up 15 percent from $78.32 for the same month last year.

INDUSTRY OBSERVER'S TAKE: "We had a terrific month. With Easter coming in April, we knew it would affect both months, March and April," said Evelyn Fine, president of Mid-Florida Marketing & Research. "This is one of those times, because of the calendar, that we knew we would have to look at both months as a whole — and that's what we're finding. It makes perfect sense to see the slight decline in March and the increase in April because of when Easter fell. We did extremely well on family spring vacations in April. In addition, we had the cheerleading competition, which always makes a big impact on us."