"We do this in July to help hotels create budgets for nextyear," Art Canter, executive director of the Massachusetts LodgingAssociation, tells GlobeSt.com. "But after September 11, we saw weneeded to revise those numbers." The numbers, notes Canter aresignificantly less than last year.

For instance, according to data provided by innacle AdvisoryGroup, last year's occupancy rates for suburban Boston--which goesout to Route 495--was 75% with average room rates of $110. Thegroup projects that occupancy rates for 2001 will be 62% withaverage room rates of $109. "In the first quarter of this yearoccupancy was up," points out Canter, "but by the second quarter wewere already dealing with the economic slowdown." At the Julymeeting, the group predicted that the area would end the year withoccupancy rates at 72%.

The year 2002 doesn't look much better, according to Canter. In2002, the forecast is that occupancy rates for the area will go upto 64% with average room rates coming down another 2% to$107.30.