Room-tax revenues in the city of Spokane and Spokane County grew 11 percent and 16 percent, respectively, during the first quarter, providing an indicator of growth in hotel business here, says Mina Gokee, director of sales at the Spokane Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.


Room-tax revenues in the city grew to nearly $174,000 in the first three months of this year, up from about $156,000 in the year-earlier period for an 11 percent gain. In Spokane County, room-tax revenues jumped to about $131,000 in the period, from about $113,000 in the year-earlier quarter for the 16 percent increase. Both the city and county collect a 2 percent tax on hotel-room rates at facilities with 40 or more rooms.


These revenues show business is up this year, Gokee says.


She says some of the increase in the tourism business here came from the month-long run of The Phantom of the Opera at the Spokane Opera House, which brought musical-theater fans here from throughout the region.


Phantom had a very positive effect, says Gokee. She says conversations that she and bureau President Hartly Kruger have had with area hoteliers indicate that almost all of them received additional business from people coming to Spokane to see The Phantom of the Opera.


The convention business also was steady in the first quarter, she says.


Only a small amount of the room-tax revenue growth can be attributed to modest rate increases for hotel rooms, Gokee says.


A monthly survey conducted by Wolfgang Rood Hospitality Consulting, of Bellevue, Wash., says that the average daily room rate of the hotels it surveyed in Spokane and Eastern Washington in January and February increased about 5.5 percent compared with the same period last year. The report also showed a 1.4 percent increase in occupancy. Not all of the hotels here participate in the survey.


Gokee also expects a strong second quarter for the hotel business here.