Denver hotel occupancy rate down

Fewer tourists filled Denver hotels in March, down more than 4 percent compared to the same month last year for an occupancy rate of 72 percent. The rates haven’t fallen that quickly since 2011, according to data from Smith Travel Research. Revenue per room was unchanged, the first month that revenue per room didn’t grow in Denver in a year and a half.

Despite a slow March, Denver remains a popular destination and the city’s hotels have enjoyed astonishing growth over the last two years. Some in the hotel industry acknowledge many tourists are coming because of recreational marijuana, but they also note the sector was growing before pot stores opened last year.