Hotel occupancy in St. Johns County dropped sharply in July, while vacation rentals bucked the trend with gains.
St. Johns collected $2.23 million in tourist development taxes that month, down 7.7 percent from July 2024, according to a Tourist Development Council report.
The levy, known as the “bed tax,” is charged on all paid overnight stays and helps fund local tourism promotion.
Traditional hotels and resorts endured an anemic midsummer, according to the numbers.
Hotel revenue for July was down 7.3 percent compared with last year. Countywide occupancy fell to 62 percent, down nearly 5 percent from last July.
The average daily rate (ADR)—essentially the sticker price for a room—slid almost 4 percent to $162.
Combined, that pushed revenue per available room (RevPAR) down 8 percent year-over-year.
The downturn was most severe in Ponte Vedra Beach, where occupancy tumbled more than 10 percent and average rates dropped nearly 9 percent, according to the report.
Bed tax collections there plunged 27 percent, a heavier decline than in St. Augustine and the beaches.
Vacation rentals told a different story. Paid occupancy climbed more than 5 percent, while nightly rates edged up to $319.
Revenue per available listing (RevPAL), the rental counterpart to RevPAR, rose 8.2 percent to $172.
Demand also increased nearly 4 percent. That divergence suggests some visitors are choosing Airbnbs and condos over traditional hotels, especially families traveling in peak summer months who prefer extra space and kitchens.
