State cuts blamed for falling Springfield hotel occupancy

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The impact of Illinois' budget impasse has reached Springfield's hotel industry, which is reporting a four-year low in bookings.

Hotel industry officials say daily revenue and occupancy last year of the 4,000 hotel rooms in the Springfield market are expected to decline 3 percent to 5 percent, pending figures from December.

The State Journal-Register in Springfield reports (http://bit.ly/2jhe5aw ) local hotels report staff hours have been reduced as fewer state employees travel, or stay overnight when they do.

The Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau says the average daily occupancy of 57 percent in 2016 through November was the lowest rate since a nearly 60 percent occupancy rate in 2013

Tiffany Matthews oversees the dining area at Hilton Garden Inn. She says the wages of servers are based on tips, which are suffering because of the decline in demand.

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Information from: The State Journal-Register, http://www.sj-r.com