Record-Breaking Hotel Sales Fuel St. Louis Tourism Momentum Wednesday September 17, 2025 By Catherine Neville Explore St. Louis Annual Meeting Celebrates Industry Growth and Honors Hospitality Leaders ST. LOUIS: Explore St. Louis today celebrated a milestone year for the region’s hospitality and tourism industry at its Annual Meeting and Awards. This summer, St. Louis hotels sold more rooms than ever before, marking the strongest sales period in city history. At a time when many destinations face declines, St. Louis is bucking the trend thanks to its affordability, accessibility and array of experiences that travelers and meeting planners are seeking. The event, hosting more than 800 guests, featured an engaging discussion between Sarah Fenske, St. Louis Magazine’s executive editor, and President and CEO of Explore St. Louis, Brad Dean. The event featured remarks from Mayor Cara Spencer and Saint Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page, and also highlighted growth across hotel bookings, conventions, film production and digital engagement during Explore St. Louis’ Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25). Read the full report here. Hotel occupancy across the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County climbed to 59.1 percent in FY25, a 3.6 percent increase over last year. Driving that success were 673,000 total room nights booked, compared to 461,000 in FY24 – a remarkable 46 percent jump. Behind those numbers, Explore St. Louis’s sales team worked 1,314 leads totaling more than 2.3 million potential room nights. In all, these efforts brought over one million visitors into the community. “Those numbers represent people eating in our restaurants, staying in our hotels, shopping in our stores and experiencing everything the St. Louis region has to offer,” said Dean. “Tourism is not just about attracting visitors – it’s about fueling business, creating jobs and showcasing St. Louis as a vibrant place to live, work and invest. The past year proved what’s possible when our community works together to tell St. Louis’ story.” The St. Louis Film Office also marked a strong year, registering 45 productions in FY25. These productions delivered an estimated $5 million in economic impact and generated more than 1,500 hotel room nights – a significant boost for local hotels, restaurants and vendors. On the digital front, Explore St. Louis saw continued growth in online engagement. The organization’s website recorded 4.3 million sessions in FY25, a 9.5 percent increase from the previous year, reflecting strong interest from people considering St. Louis for their next meeting, convention or leisure trip. “From conventions to film to digital outreach, we are building momentum that will carry St. Louis into the next decade,” Dean added. “This is just the beginning. Our opportunity now is to double down on this progress, strengthen our partnerships and keep raising the profile of St. Louis as a world-class destination.” Looking ahead to fall, Explore St. Louis expects modest growth to continue and the organization is strategically leaning into leisure marketing -- leisure travel drives more than 70 percent of hotel occupancy -- to sustain momentum and strengthen the region’s competitive position. At the event, the Civic Pride Foundation recognized St. Louisans who are dedicated to moving our region forward. Greg Gleicher, Founder and CEO of Good Developments Group, was honored with the Spark of St. Louis Award, and Civic Pride board member Ruth Kim was honored with the Kim Tucci Heart of St. Louis Award. In addition, the Civic Pride Foundation awarded Spark Grants to Crown Candy Kitchen, Series Six Company, The Gin Room, the US National Handball Center and the St. Louis Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The organization also honored 158 Hospitality Heroes and seven Hospitality Superheroes, recognizing the dedication and superior qualities of our area’s front-line hospitality professionals. Across the region, industry leaders were nominated by members of their team, who drew attention to their superlative work ethic and focus on service. The Hospitality Superheroes include: Shannon Diaz, United Airlines Bradley France, United Airlines Aimee Grant, Hudson Association Cheyenne Groom, Encore Matthew Hawkins, Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch Krushi Patel, Residence Inn/Fairfield Inn St. Louis Westport Erin Ray, Missouri History Museum Photos courtesy of Explore St. Louis are available here: https://dam.explorestlouis.com/share/022B28A3-4AB1-4EE3-912A886AC488063F/ A complete list of award recipients and Hospitality Superheroes is available upon request. Share
