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Shenandoah tourism office reports record hotel tax collections after post‑pandemic rebound
Summary
The city's tourism office told council it achieved a second consecutive year of record performance driven by marketing and new data intelligence tools, reporting nearly $2.15 million in hotel collections and 1,402 total hotel rooms across 13 properties; staff said they will build an economic‑impact calculator to quantify resident benefits.
Miss Demena, presenting the Convention and Visitors Bureau annual report, told the Shenandoah City Council on Feb. 12 that the office recorded a “second consecutive year of all‑time historic high performance measures,” with marketing and new data dashboards credited for the gains.
The presentation, which staff said was prepared with data from Tourism Economics (part of Oxford Economics) and benchmarked against Dean Runyon industry estimates, showed roughly $2,150,000 in hotel collections for the fiscal year and 1,402 hotel rooms across 13 properties in Shenandoah. Demena said those room totals span small economy properties to upper‑scale hotels and that recent openings in 2021 added about 31% new room supply — a major marketing challenge the office addressed with targeted campaigns and video content.
Why it matters: Council members pressed staff on how wholesale tourism gains translate to resident tax relief and city revenue. Demena said the CVB’s work supports broader local sales and hospitality revenue — the presentation cited $80.3 million in travel‑related spending for the local market (Dean Runyon benchmark) and approximately $2.5 million in local sales receipts for 2023 — and that staff are developing an economic‑impact calculator to better quantify direct benefits to Shenandoah residents.
Council questions and context: Members asked whether Shenandoah coordinates with neighboring destination marketing organizations and how competition from nearby communities (The Woodlands, Conroe, New Caney and others) affects strategy. Demena said the city participates in regional co‑op marketing programs and that while Shenandoah does not pursue large conventions (it lacks extensive meeting space), it has successfully carved a niche in small meetings, corporate trainings and entertainment‑driven demand. She noted the office’s limited staff and reliance on data partnerships to extend capacity.
What’s next: Staff said they will pursue an economic‑impact tool to show the relationship between visitation and resident tax outcomes and will return to council with more precise revenue‑to‑resident impact figures.
Representative quote: “We are punching well above our weight,” Demena said of Shenandoah’s momentum index versus a national benchmark compiled by their vendor.
Ending: The council thanked the presenter and moved to the next agenda item, directing staff to continue building the data tools that will clarify how tourism activity contributes to the local tax base.
