After a rough start to the year due to the onset of the pandemic, things are looking up for Door County’s lodging industry. According to the statistics from the Door County Tourism Zone, occupancy rates have been rebounding since July.  Fewer rooms have been made available, but September marked the first month since January that the occupancy rate exceeded its 2019 totals at 57 percent. It has been within three percent of 2019’s average since July.  Room rates have also been able to climb as well, ranging from $5 to $24 a room higher on average compared to 2019.  Open Hearth Lodge owner Nora Zacek says many new visitors to Sister Bay stepped in to fill the rooms of others who did not feel comfortable traveling this year.

The positive trajectory gave Zacek and her husband John the confidence to move forward with their plans to expand for the second time since 2015. She says the rooms will all be pet-friendly after noticing more visitors are less likely to travel without their furry companions.

Photo from Open Hearth Lodge