INDIANAPOLIS -- It's unlike anything seen before in the modern history of downtown Indianapolis.
Only about seven percent of downtown hotel rooms are actually being slept in, a 91% drop from the beginning of March, before COVID-19 changed everything.
Those figures are reported by the research firm STR and confirmed by Chris Gahl, Senior Vice President of Visit Indy, the organization that promotes downtown hotel and convention business.
With no conventions taking place at the Indiana Convention Center, with business and leisure travel down to a trickle, and major sports events canceled, there is no demand for hotel rooms.
The new figures do not even include a few major hotels, such as the JW Marriott, which are closed for now.
For the entire Indianapolis market, the news isn't much better. There's been a 68% drop in occupancy since March 1, according to STR.
Just more examples of the tremendous impact of COVID-19 on the Indiana economy.
