Houston hotel bookings on pace to break records in March, Houston First Corporation says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston's long list of large events in March is putting the city on track to break hotel booking records, according to a spokesperson for Houston First Corporation.

"Local hotel bookings are up more than 12% in March," a Houston First Corporation spokesperson said in a statement to ABC13. "This does illustrate a strong demand in the market, one that we believe will result in this being the best March we've ever seen and quite possibly the best month overall, particularly in terms of revenue."

A Houston First Corporation spokesperson said the numbers aren't official yet.

The Corporation stated that in March 2025 hotel occupancy was 68% market wide, with a demand of 2.2 million room nights, and an Average Daily Rate (ADR) of $133. The total revenue for last March was $295 million.

The preliminary numbers are being released soon after the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the World Baseball Classic at Daikin Park, and the NCAA Men's Basketball South Regional, among other events.

"What happens when these folks come to the city? Well, they pay hotel occupancy taxes, which funds our broader efforts at making Houston even more of a guest destination, but also when they come, they're eating at restaurants, they're going shopping, and those sales taxes flow into the city's coffers and allow us to do more to serve Houstonians," Houston City Controller Chris Hollins said.