SEATTLE – For the first time since 2020, hoteliers in downtown Seattle reported a decline in demand as workers across the city attribute a slight drop-off in 2025 to a loss of international travelers.
New data from Visit Seattle and the Downtown Seattle Association shows 50,400 fewer people booked rooms in downtown last year, including national and international travelers.
At the start of a breezy new season, Hotel Andra Owner Craig Schafer said he’s concerned about another kind of change hitting the Emerald City.
“International travel is down, which accounts for roughly 10% of the city’s business,” Schafer explained.
He sits on the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) board. The group’s 2025 Economic Report states that hotel demand was down 1% to just under 4 million room nights sold for the year.
“We don’t like losing that because the more demand we have, the more pricing power we have,” Schafer said.
The report attributes the decline to weakening hotel demand and reduced convention travel. Schafer said he is hopeful conditions will improve this year.
“We’re in a great location, and the city is recovering from the pandemic,” he said.
The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce said businesses are also dealing with rising operating costs and fewer international visitors, in part due to U.S. tariffs and political tensions at the federal level.
“We’re seeing that in travel data as well, with 24% fewer travelers coming across the border,” said Joe Nguyen, president and CEO of the Seattle Metro Chamber. “From our perspective, we want to make sure they know they are welcome.”
Citywide, a new economic impact report from Oxford Economics shows Seattle’s hospitality market revenue declined by $44.6 million compared with 2024. The report cited sharp drops in group bookings, cross-border travel, and international tourism. In Belltown, Travelodge general manager Chris Tudor said the impacts have been felt for more than a year, with some travelers, including Toronto Blue Jays fans, canceling trips.
“That inbound travel is not showing up anymore. It’s a little depressing, and the declines are definitely consistent,” Tudor said. “Our margins are already thin with labor, insurance, property taxes, and the cost of goods. When revenue goes down, and costs go up, the equation doesn’t work.”
Tudor said preparations are already underway to welcome visitors for the FIFA World Cup in June. The Washington Hospitality Association said it is urging Gov. Bob Ferguson to sign legislation re-establishing the state’s tourism office to help boost the industry.
“We can go to work on rebuilding our marketing for the long term,” said Anthony Anton, the association’s president and CEO.
Despite the decline in international visitors, the Downtown Seattle Association reported 11.6 million visits from residents living within a 10-mile radius, along with more than 15 million unique visitors overall.
The Oxford Economics report, commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and the Seattle Hotel Association, estimates hotel operations and visitor spending generated $8.3 billion in economic activity, supported more than 37,000 jobs, and contributed $1.4 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue.Visit Seattle said in an emailed statement it expects to release more detailed tourism data in late March. The organization anticipates international visitor numbers could decline by about 26% in 2025 compared with the previous year.
ट्विटर पर साझा करें: Seattle hotels aim to attract more international travelers amid reported drop-off
