Sports tournaments and short‑term rentals boost July lodging revenue, staff says

Staff presented a series of event and tourism updates, saying sports tournaments and other events drove hotel nights and short‑term rental bookings in July. Marty Davis, representing the Pennock Hunt Retriever Club, told the meeting the club's Super Retriever Series drew fewer entrants than a national event the prior week but still produced strong hotel-night and meal spending for the city and used military volunteers from Little Rock Air Force Base. Staff said the club used local hospitality businesses and permitted food trucks and aimed to “get back as much as we can” to the local economy. Staff also summarized a regional 3 v 3 soccer tournament that brought 70-plus out‑of‑state teams and 98 teams overall, producing 588 participants and a total attendance figure the organizer reported at 2,077. Staff said the event used city marketing funds through the event incentive program for ads, banners, and participant prizes. Short‑term rental data in the packet showed July revenue of about $210,000, up 14.2% from July 2024, and an average daily rate near $162, producing a revenue-per-rental (RevPAR) estimate of roughly $95. Staff said the highest booking counts were in three‑bedroom properties, suggesting family stays rather than multiple hotel rooms. Staff described new advertising creative — sports‑focused, leisure, and arts‑focused variations — and said they are placing print and digital ads and coordinating with Create Conway to add an arts-events heading to the events calendar. How this matters: tournament and event stays are a key economic driver for local hotels, rental hosts and restaurants. Staff recommended continuing targeted marketing and monitoring short‑term rental data to guide future promotions. Next steps: staff will dig deeper into the short‑term rental raw data to identify property ownership and refine monitoring to city limits, and return with more analysis in a future meeting.