What’s the best thing about living in New York, where meetpete resides? Not having to pay for a hotel room! The 2007 Average Daily Rate (ADR) in New York City according to PKF Consulting, was $304, a whopping year-to-year increase of 12.6 percent. For those keeping score, ADR for December was just under $380.

The final numbers are in, confirming 2007 was a banner year for the lodging industry. Smith Travel Research reports that while occupancy remained largely unchanged at 63.2 percent, average room rate climbed 5.9 percent. The resilency of the lodging segment is reflected in the fact that, despite warnings of recession, comparable numbers are still forecast for 2008.

Despite predictions of an economic slowdown, hotel rates will increase an estimated 5.6 percent in 2008, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. More telling is that rates in the full-service Luxury, Upper Upscale and Upscale segments favored by groups will increase by 6.9, 5.8 and 6.2 percent, respectively. Planners who budget and book years in advance can expect the current trend to continue.”History,” noted PwC Global Hospitality Industry Leader Bjorn Hanson, “indicates that there are a few more favorable years for REVPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) growth in the current cycle.”

While loyalty programs come in many shapes and sizes, the most common method of accounting is points. Yesterday, meetpete received an offer of “Priority Club Meeting Rewards” from American Express and the Intercontinental Family of Brands. Every dollar on the master account billed to Amex earns points that can be redeemed for personal rewards or credits toward a future meeting. Clever marketing but a better idea if, in order to avoid any perception of individual impropriety, redemption was limited to meeting credits alone.

This week’s nugget is a snapshot of the U.S. Lodging Market, compliments of Smith Travel Research. Buoyed by a fractional increase in occupancy, year-to-year Average Daily Rate (ADR) rose 5.8 percent in September. Barring any economic disruption, analysts forecast overall hikes of an additional 5-to-6 percent in 2008…a figure that projects even higher in the “Upscale” and “Upper Upscale” segments favored by groups.