By JAMES FINK
jfink@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1611

Buffalo and Niagara Falls reported two of the highest hotel occupancy rates in the country last month, courtesy of a healthy number of special events and meetings held in the region.

According to data compiled by Smith Travel Research of Nashville, Niagara Falls reported an 88.7 percent hotel room occupancy rate in July, up 3.1 percent from July 2010 when the Cataract City reported an 86 percent hotel room occupancy rate.

Buffalo and Erie County reported an 84.1 percent hotel room occupancy rate, an increase of 1 percent from last summer when it reported an 83.2 percent occupancy rate.

Both Buffalo and Niagara Falls had two of the highest occupancy rate of any major metropolitan area that supplies data to Smith Travel Research.

Hotel room occupancy rates are considered a key economic factor in the hospitality industry.

By comparison, Rochester reported a 72.6 percent occupancy rate in July, a slight increase of 0.1 percent from July 2010 when the Flower City reported a 72.5 percent occupancy rate.

The national average in July was 69.9 percent, up 2.9 percent from the 67.9 percent reported last July.

For the year-to-date, Buffalo and Erie County reported a 64.3 percent hotel room occupancy rate for the first seven months of 2011, compared with a 61.7 percent from last year. The hotel occupancy rate rose 4.2 percent in the January-to-July period.

Niagara Falls saw a 3.1 percent increase in its occupancy rate, rising from 57.3 percent to 55.6 percent.

Rochester also reported a slight, 0.1 percent increase, in its hotel room occupancy rate, rising from 54.9 percent to 55 percent.

Nationally, the hotel room occupancy rate rose 4.6 percent, increasing from 58.1 percent to 60.7 percent.