Carson City lodging revenue up 8 percent

Lodging revenues for the trailing 12 months and year-to-date through August went up more than 8 percent in each case, the Carson City’s Visitors Bureau board learned Wednesday.

Joel Dunn, bureau director, said a transient lodging report showed trailing 12 months room revenue for 2015 hit $15.4 million, up from $14.2 million in the same 2014 period, or 8.22 percent. The year-to-date figure through August was almost $10.9 million, up from slightly more than $10 million for the same period of 2014, or 8.15 percent. Dunn indicated that and sound expense oversight regarding expenses mean bureau coffers are doing well.

“We’re well on task in seeing our projected revenue this year,” he said. After the meeting, he projected 30 percent of anticipated revenue is in with only 25 percent of Fiscal Year 2015-16 complete through Sept. 30.

Dunn and Kyle Horvath, who handle bureau social media and marketing, also told board members about progress on the bureau’s new Business Alliance Network (BAN). Dunn said perhaps 150 businesses would be involved and many business organizations have bought into the BAN idea. Horvath will be conducting training classes in social media marketing to help local firms. Horvath also reported ski packages are being put together.

“We’re going to have, again, the best deal,” he said.

Dunn reported Nevada Day the final day of October went well and estimated the parade crowd exceeded earlier years when he tracked attendance.

“The Nevada Day weekend was tremendously successful,” he said. “I would say the attendance was outstanding.”

In addition, he reported work toward city kiosks for local event ticket sales and community information is progressing. He said the target is to have three kiosks placed strategically in the community by mid-2016, but didn’t disclose any potential locations yet.