Hongsheng Zhao left, and Duane Utter ride the elevators at the Marriott University Park Hotel. Across Tucson's hospitality sector, spa properties, ranches, hotels and resorts were able to book rooms throughout 2006.

Dean Knuth / Arizona Daily Star

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Tourists continued to migrate to Tucson hotels and resorts in 2006 and local properties are reaping more revenues as a result.

In a survey of 158 hotels and resorts, Tucson-area properties ended 2006 with a 68.3 percent occupancy rate, according to SmithTravel Research, a Hendersonville, Tenn.-based company that tracks hospitality trends.

That rate is up from 65.9 percent for the same month in 2005, said Kelly Burns, a SmithTravel analyst.

The report also notes that Tucson hotels posted a 10.1 percent revenue increase, up in December to an average of $63.49 per room.

That figure compares with $57.64 reported in 2005.

The SmithTravel report, which tracks properties ranging from the 19-room No-Tel Motel, 2425 N. Oracle Road, to the 398-room Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, 7000 N. Resort Drive, notes that room rates also went up in the Tucson region.

Average rates increased by 6.3 percent for December up to $92.97 per room.

Last year's figure was $87.42.

Across Tucson's hospitality sector, spa properties, ranches, hotels and resorts were able to book rooms throughout the year, said Rick Vaughan, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau.

"We're looking good for this year," Vaughan said, citing several big-name events to come, including the World Golf Championship's Accenture Match Play Championship in February.

"We're going into our first four months for the season. Everything looks solid now," Vaughan said.

The latest occupancy figures are good news for local hotel managers and owners.

"We thought it was going to be slow in the beginning. But January is shaping up to be our best month ever," said Beth Miner, co-owner of the 12-year-old Jeremiah Inn Bed & Breakfast, 10921 E. Snyder Road.

Located on 3.3 acres, the East Side B&B draws repeat guests from around the country who pay $140 per night at the four-room inn.

Despite Tucson's cold snap this week, guests are still coming here to find a "little sunshine and warm weather," Miner said.

"Nothing's stopping them from hiking and golfing," she said.

At the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, 3800 E. Sunrise Drive, the year was especially strong for bookings, said Bill Petrella, general manager of the 487-room resort.

In 2006, the resort hosted more than 1,000 meetings and national conventions, which helped boost occupancy rates for the year, he said.

Tucson's entire resort industry and occupancy rate was able to grow even with the addition of a new resort, Petrella said, citing the 575-room JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa, 3800 W. Starr Pass Blvd., now operating in its second year.

"This bodes really well for Tucson as a solid destination city," he said.

Winter guests are arriving at a healthy pace at the Tucson Marriott University Park Hotel, 880 E. Second St.

"For the first few months, our bookings are strong," said Joe Armbrust, general manager of the Marriott University Park.

The 250-room hotel is serving as the official host hotel for the American Gem Trade Association, which books rooms for the 53rd annual Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase, starting this week.

Located near the University of Arizona and Downtown Tucson, the hotel often sees a lot of business-leisure travelers and group and convention meetings, Armbrust said.

"We hope to continue that in the year," he said.

But other challenges await the hotel, Armbrust said.

"Our April is looking soft. We need to work on that," he said.

Upcoming construction work for widening lanes on Interstate 10 also concerns Armbrust.

The three-year project by the state Department of Transportation, which plans to close on- and off-ramps between 29th Street and Prince Road, begins in June.

The two-lane frontage roads will be restriped to add a third lane on either side of I-10 to handle increased local traffic.

"With the freeway closure, I'm not sure what to expect," Armbrust said. "It's a cause for concern. We have no idea what impact that will have."