LANSING, Mich. – The Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau (GLCVB) held its annual meeting on March 1 and shared the state of the hospitality industry and 2021 local visitor economic impact. It also celebrated a local author as the CTA Star of the Year and recognized 10 area tourism related businesses for milestone anniversaries. Many of which have been in business for 50, 85 and 100 years.

Julie Pingston, GLCVB President and CEO reflects, “coming out of the pandemic’s crisis mode of 2020 we looked to 2021 to be a transformational year for the region’s hospitality industry. A primary indicator of the vibrancy of the industry is hotel occupancy and ADR and we were pleased to see steady growth in both.”

The year ended with a hotel occupancy rate of 49%, better than the 2020 rate of 40%, but still far off pace from the region’s highest occupancy of 65% recorded in 2019. The region’s hotel average daily rate also continued to rebound ending 2021 at $92.59 compared to $82.28 in 2020.

During the annual meeting, the GLCVB recognized many of the region’s 400 Certified Tourism Ambassadors that are dedicated to making every visitor experience a positive one. Those acknowledged included 34 CTAs that have served the community for five years and 52 CTAs that have served for 10 years. Amy Piper, CTA local author of 100 Things to Do in Lansing Before You Die was celebrated as the CTA Star of the Year.

The GLCVB acknowledged the anniversary milestones achieved by the following local attractions and businesses:

  • Harris Nature Center – 25 years (in 2022)
  •  Michigan Princess Riverboat – 30 years (in 2021)
  • Harrison Roadhouse – 40 years (in 2021)
  • Rick’s American Café – 40 years (in 2021)
  • Roadhouse Pub – 30 years (in 2021)
  • Nuthouse Sports Grill – 25 years (in 2021)
  • Impression 5 Science Center – 50 years (in 2022)
  • Quality Dairy – 85 years (in 2021)
  • The Peanut Shop – 85 years (in 2022)
  • Harry’s Place – 100 years (in 2022)

“As the industry continues to make strides toward recovery, I remain hopeful and believe in the resiliency of this community. The ten businesses we celebrated today are living proof of that,” said Pingston. “As we look forward to 2022 our focus will be to enact the strategic recovery plan and serve as a resource to event planning clients, while continuing to help our local hospitality partners thrive. We remain optimistic that we are well prepared to meet any new challenges we might encounter as the industry continues to rebound.”

Find the full 2021 GLCVB annual report and additional details at GLCVB Annual Report & Meeting

For more information or to schedule interviews please contact Tracy Padot at tpadot@lansing.org

The vision of the GLCVB is to inspire everyone to celebrate and love Greater Lansing as much as we do! Which goes hand in hand with our mission, to positively impact our community’s quality of life by developing the region as a visitor destination.

Need visitor information? Request a copy of our new Visitor Inspiration Guide on our newly refreshed website www.lansing.org.