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As the 2025 holiday season approaches, several retail categories are showing surprising resilience – from luxury home goods to consumer electronics and grocery. Despite a challenging economic backdrop, a few standout brands are not only holding steady but gaining meaningful traction through smart expansion, effective online-offline integration, and compelling value offerings.
Framebridge, Best Buy, and ALDI each represent a distinct facet of the retail landscape, but they have one thing in common: strong visitation trends heading into the year’s most critical shopping period.
Framebridge has emerged as one of 2025’s standout retail success stories. Over the past 12 months, visits to the brand have climbed 108.8% year over year (YoY) as it rapidly expanded its footprint and deepened its connection with customers.
This momentum stems from Framebridge’s ability to deliver an in-store experience that online competitors simply can’t replicate. Shoppers are invited to see and feel materials firsthand, while design experts offer personalized guidance and creative inspiration to craft meaningful, high-quality pieces. The result is a shopping experience that feels personal, tactile, and memorable – transforming framing from a routine purchase into something experiential and human.
In 2025, Framebridge brought this approach to new audiences with its first stores in California, marking its West Coast debut. And as the chain has expanded, its customer base has grown more affluent: the median household income in Framebridge’s captured market rose from $127.7K in early 2024 to $141.8K by mid-2025, while average household size also increased. Together, these shifts reflect rising resonance among higher-income, family-oriented consumers who value personalization, design, and craftsmanship – leaving the brand well positioned for a strong season of meaningful gift giving.
Not long ago, many analysts were skeptical about Best Buy’s prospects. The electronics retailer was viewed as vulnerable in a tightening consumer environment, with lingering doubts about its ability to stay relevant amid e-commerce dominance and fast-changing tech trends. But recent data suggests that Best Buy is regaining momentum – and that its strategy to blend digital convenience with in-store expertise is beginning to deliver results.
Between November 2024 and October 2025, foot traffic to Best Buy declined just 1.7% YoY, an impressive result given ongoing store closures and the continued expansion of its online business. At the same time, a steady rise in short in-store visits highlights the success of Best Buy’s online-to-offline integration. And though tariff uncertainty continues to loom, Best Buy’s balanced approach leaves it poised to enjoy a successful Q4 – traditionally Best Buy’s strongest period of the year.
In the grocery sector, few brands are gaining momentum like ALDI – the no-frills discount grocer that continues to attract shoppers with its focus on simplicity, savings, and quality. Over the past several years, ALDI has sustained consistent visit growth while expanding its store network. And during the same period, the brand’s share of total industry visits has risen from 4.3% in 2022 to 5.7% in 2025 to date, underscoring its growing influence as a leading value-driven grocery chain.
As “Turkey Wednesday” and the pre-Christmas grocery rush approach, ALDI appears set to capture an even greater share of holiday traffic. With strong visitation trends, expanding market reach, and a clear value proposition, the retailer stands out as one of 2025’s most resilient performers.
Framebridge, Best Buy, and ALDI demonstrate that experience, convenience, and value remain key drivers of retail performance. By focusing on what draws shoppers into stores, these brands are paving the way for a robust holiday season.
For the most up-to-date retail data, check out Placer.ai’s free tools.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
After decades as America’s quintessential diner, Denny’s is entering a new era under the ownership of TriArtisan Capital Advisors, Treville Capital, and Yadav Enterprises. The move to take the company private comes at a time when the brand faces headwinds from store closures and evolving consumer habits – but also holds opportunities to reenergize its position in the family dining space.
We dove into the data to see where Denny’s stands today and what might be next for this legacy chain.
Visits to Denny’s fell 6.2% year over year (YoY) between November 2024 and October 2025, following a smaller 1.7% decline the prior year. This downturn partly reflects store closures, as Denny’s has been shuttering underperforming locations over the past two years to reposition the brand for sustainable growth.
The decline also reflects heightened competition from upscale breakfast chains such as First Watch – a challenge shared by peers like IHOP and Waffle House. Against this backdrop, Denny’s ability to limit traffic losses to single digits highlights its underlying brand resilience. And together with traffic gains at Keke’s Breakfast Café – the fast-growing concept Denny’s acquired in 2022 – this resilience provides a strong foundation for Denny’s and its new ownership group to reinvigorate the company’s success.
Visitor loyalty at Denny’s remains another bright spot. Between November 2024 and October 2025, roughly one in six Denny’s visitors returned within the same month, giving it a 17.3% average monthly loyal visitor share – the second highest among major breakfast chains after Waffle House (24.0%). This depth of loyalty shows that even with fewer restaurants, Denny’s retains a solid base of habitual diners who see it as their go-to comfort food spot. That connection also gives Denny’s – and other traditional diner concepts – a meaningful point of differentiation from more upscale competitors as the brand’s new ownership works to reenergize its business.
The data tells a clear story: Denny’s is in transition, not decline. Its loyal customer base provides stability, and its ability to limit traffic losses amid strategic rightsizing underscores real resilience. Now, as a privately held company, Denny’s has the flexibility to plan for the long term, positioning itself to evolve thoughtfully and make a comeback, one Grand Slam at a time.
For more data-driven dining analyses check out Placer.ai’s free industry trends tool.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
As the 2025 holiday season approaches, America’s most iconic shopping corridors are preparing for some of their biggest weeks of the year. From Manhattan’s 5th Avenue to Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive and Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, holiday shoppers are expected to turn out in force. We analyzed last year’s holiday visitation patterns to uncover what lies ahead for these corridors this year – and who their visitors are likely to be.
Urban shopping corridors like 5th Avenue, Rodeo Drive, and the Magnificent Mile come alive each year with holiday energy, drawing shoppers in search of gifts, experiences, and festive cheer. But while all three districts see substantial surges in foot traffic during the season, the magnitude of those gains relative to the rest of the year varies widely from one corridor to the next.
On New York City’s 5th Avenue, December stands out as the busiest month of the year by far. Rodeo Drive, by contrast, sees multiple peaks across the calendar – though its December surge consistently surpasses ones earlier in the year. The Magnificent Mile, meanwhile, typically records its highest visitation in July, with a more modest boost each December.
Zooming in on last year’s holiday foot traffic further underscores each corridor’s distinct seasonal rhythm. All three districts enjoyed notable Black Friday upticks, but their strongest gains came on other key occasions – each following its own festive cadence.
On 5th Avenue, visits surged on the three Saturdays leading up to Christmas – peaking on December 14th – as eager crowds turned out in droves to admire elaborate window displays, skate at Rockefeller Center, and soak in the city’s holiday magic. Out-of-market traffic to the Magnificent Mile, by contrast, reached a 12-month high during the November 23rd Wintrust Lights Festival, which kicked off the season with floats, marching bands, and fireworks. After that, visits eased before gradually ticking up and hitting another high on December 28th. Rodeo Drive also recorded its busiest day of the season on December 28th, surpassed only by the Concours d'Elegance on June 15th. For both the Magnificent Mile and Rodeo Drive, these late-season peaks underscore their enduring appeal for post-Christmas shopping, leisure, and celebration over the extended holiday weekend.
High-street retail corridors’ mix of luxury brands and flagship stores tends to attract affluent shoppers with money to spend. The median household income (HHI) of 5th Avenue’s out-of-market trade area during an average weekend this year stood at $118.3K, while Rodeo Drive’s reached $123.1K and the Magnificent Mile’s $104.4K.
During the holiday season, however, all three corridors saw a drop in median HHI – though each remained well above the national baseline of $79.6K. At the same time, the share of families with children increased across all three destinations. These shifts, most pronounced on 5th Avenue given its dramatic influx of visitors, highlight a seasonal pivot toward a broader, more family-driven audience than is typical throughout the rest of the year.
Still, young single adults remain a core driver of holiday foot traffic across major retail corridors. Visitors aged 25 to 34 made up an outsized share of holiday shoppers last season, though each destination drew a somewhat different mix.
“Educated Urbanites” – affluent singles earning an estimated $150K to $200K per year – were most prevalent on Rodeo Drive but were also strongly represented along 5th Avenue and the Magnificent Mile. “Young Urban Singles,” early in their careers and earning between $35K and $50K, were most concentrated on 5th Avenue, while “Young Professionals” starting white-collar or technical careers with incomes of $50K to $75K were most common on the Mag Mile.
Together, these dynamics point to another vibrant holiday season across the country’s premier retail corridors. Each destination will draw its own mix of locals, travelers, and tourists – but all are poised to see more shoppers, more experiences, and more energy lighting up America’s high streets through the end of the year.
For more data-driven retail insights follow Placer.ai/anchor.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
Every year on Veterans Day, America’s restaurants find creative ways to honor the service of military members and their families. From free meals to fundraising efforts, many chains turn November 11th into a day of generosity and community.
And data from last year shows just how powerful that gesture can be – for both diners and the restaurants that serve them.
Eating out to honor those who served has become an American tradition. Leading chains from Applebee’s to Olive Garden and California Pizza Kitchen offer special deals to mark the occasion, drawing crowds nationwide. Last year, visits to these restaurants more than doubled compared to an average Monday, as Americans turned out to share a meal and show their appreciation.
For Applebee’s, November 11 wasn’t just a busy Monday – it was the busiest day of the entire year.
The brand’s all-day Veterans Day special allowed veterans and active-duty service members to enjoy a free entrée, creating steady traffic throughout the day. Eligible guests also received a $5 “Bounce Back” card to use in the following weeks – a small but effective way to say thank you and drive repeat visits. And while the all-day offer kept tables full, veterans and families hoping to avoid the lunchtime rush could still take advantage of the offer later in the day.
Other chains, like Golden Corral, took a different approach. The brand’s evening-only Military Appreciation Night began after 4:00 PM, offering free meals for veterans alongside a fundraising effort for Disabled American Veterans.
That timing produced a concentrated traffic surge. Visits peaked between 5:00 and 6:00 PM – likely boosted by some websites listing that as the start time – and remained well above average through the dinner hours. The data shows how a more focused event window can create strong evening momentum and a clear sense of occasion.
As November 11 approaches, full-service restaurants have another opportunity to align purpose with performance – honoring service members while strengthening ties with the communities they serve. How will this year’s Veterans Day dining trends unfold?
Follow Placer.ai/anchor to find out.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
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Digitally native brands have long been recognized for redefining retail through direct-to-consumer convenience and transparency. But as many of these once digital-only companies expand offline, physical stores prove to be key drivers of growth and engagement. Warby Parker stands out as an example of a brand translating digital roots into success in the brick-and-mortar space.
Warby Parker is entering the final quarter of 2025 on the tails of meaningful gains in foot traffic during the last twelve months (9.0% year-over-year (YoY)). With over 300 locations and being well on its way to 45 new stores this year, the chain’s continued expansion likely had an impact on YoY visits. But Warby Parker’s established footprint is also driving growth. Company management cited on-target revenue from both new stores and ones open for 12-months or more.
Unlike traditional retailers, digitally native brands built their businesses on a foundation of ecommerce fluency, so a well-oiled online shopping experience and the roll-out of fresh AI-tools is to be expected. However, where Warby Parker continues to excel is in its physical store experience, enhanced by digital infrastructure that drives efficiency and reflects its roots as a digitally native brand.
The graph below shows that through three quarters of 2025, Warby Parker maintained average visit length of 30.8 minutes, exceeding the beauty (26.8 minutes) and traditional apparel (28.7 minutes) categories. This means that, on average, Warby Parker shoppers spend more time choosing a frame than they do sampling makeup or trying on an outfit. Longer visits indicate that Warby Parker stores, with their in-house eye exams and inviting, library-like atmosphere, have become destinations for both vision care and thoughtful frame selection. If Warby Parker continues to capture more of the vision care journey – a key long-term goal – further increases in average visit length could be expected.
Yet Warby Parker also drove a larger share of visits under 10 minutes than the analyzed categories, underscoring its well-executed omnichannel capabilities that serve consumers looking for speed and convenience. The chain integrates online staples – such as virtual try-ons – in-store, and its “Point of Everything (POE)” sales tool quickly identifies which frames customers have “favorited” online to help streamline offline purchases. And while some of Warby Parker’s short visits may come from frame adjustments – typically a quick fix – POE helps to make that process more efficient as well.
This all points to why Warby Parker’s retail revenue growth outpaces its ecommerce growth – accounting for 73% of the business – and may also explain management’s decision to sunset its Home Try-On program. Noting that the majority of the program’s current users live within 30 minutes of a Warby Parker store, the brand likely hopes that users can be easily converted into offline customers.
Digitally native brands are reshaping the physical store into an extension of their digital DNA and creating spaces that deliver both engagement and convenience. Knowledgeable associates and in-store amenities elevate offline shopping, while digital infrastructure supports everyday efficiency.
Want more data-driven retail insights? Visit Placer.ai/anchor.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
With food prices remaining elevated, value grocers like Grocery Outlet Bargain Market are continuing to gain ground. We analyzed the latest traffic data to uncover what’s driving their sustained momentum.
Although food prices have now been elevated for several years – with 2025 bringing yet another uptick at the grocery till – traffic data suggests that consumers are continuing to adjust to this new normal. Value grocers are still gaining ground, with both Grocery Outlet Bargain Market and WinCo Foods experiencing strong year-over-year traffic gains.
Grocery Outlet Bargain Market – which has been expanding beyond its West Coast core markets – saw its traffic increase 7.5% year over year (YoY) over the past 12 months.
WinCo Foods – another value grocer rooted in the Western U.S. and growing in new regions – also experienced continued traffic growth.
Grocery Outlet Bargain Market and WinCo sustained momentum – even after years of high food prices – suggesting that grocery shopping habits change slowly. But while some shoppers may take longer to trade down from their traditional grocers, each additional month of high prices appears to draw more households toward value-focused chains. Value grocers' ongoing YoY visit gains point to a slow but steady realignment of consumer loyalties toward discount and private-label-driven formats that can keep prices low, even if it means a less familiar product mix.
At the same time, chains like Grocery Outlet and WinCo are meeting this demand head-on. Both are expanding into new markets and capturing shoppers who are now more willing to try new stores in search of savings. After several years of navigating higher grocery bills, consumers have become more intentional about where they shop and what they buy – and value grocers are benefiting from that sustained recalibration.
For the most up-to-date grocery insights, check out Placer.ai’s free tools.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
In today’s retail landscape, consumer behavior is influenced by a multitude of factors, directly impacting the success of products and brands. This report explores the latest trends in value perception, shopping behavior, and media consumption that impact which brands consumers are most likely to engage with – and how.
In the apparel space, consumers continue to prioritize value and unique merchandise.
Analysis of visits to various apparel categories reveals a steady increase in the share of visits going to off-price retailers and thrift stores at the expense of traditional apparel chains.
And the popularity of off-price chains and thrift stores appears to be widespread across multiple audience segments. Analyzing trade area data with the Experian: Mosaic psychographic dataset reveals a clear preference for second-hand retailers among both younger (ages 25-30) and older (51+) consumer segments. Meanwhile, middle-class parents aged 36-45 with teenagers – the “Family Union” segment – are significantly more likely to shop at off-price apparel stores, highlighting their emphasis on buying new, while saving both time and money.
This suggests that the powerful blend of treasure-hunting and deep value, central to both the off-price and thrift experiences, is driving traffic from a variety of audiences, and that other industries could benefit from combining affordability with the allure of unique products.
Diving deeper into the location intelligence for the apparel space further highlights thrift and off-price’s broad appeal – and that a combination of quality and price motivates consumers to visit different retailers.
Between 2019 and 2024, the share of Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom visitors that also visited a Goodwill or Ross Dress for Less increased significantly.
And while this could mean that the current economic climate is causing some higher-income consumers to trade down to lower-priced retailers, it could also be that consumers are prioritizing sustainability and seeking value in terms of “bang for their buck” – shopping a combination of retailers depending on the cost versus quality considerations for each purchase.
Consumers increasingly expect to shop on their own terms, opting for a more flexible shopping experience that blurs the lines between traditional retail channels and categories.
Superstores and warehouse stores, for example, often evoke the image of navigating aisle after aisle of nearly every product imaginable – a time-consuming endeavor given the sheer size of their stores. But the latest location intelligence shows that more consumers are turning to these retailers for super-quick shopping trips.
Between 2019 and 2024, the share of visits lasting less than ten minutes at Target, Walmart, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Sam’s Club, and to a lesser extent Costco, rose steadily – perhaps due to increased use of flexible BOPIS (buy online, pick-up in-store) and curbside pick-up options. These stores may also be seeing a rise in consumers popping in to grab just a few items as-needed or to cherry-pick particular deals to complement their larger online shopping orders.
This trend highlights the demand for frictionless store experiences that allow visitors to conveniently shop or pick up orders even at large physical retailers.
And the breaking down of traditional retail silos isn’t limited to big-box chains. Diving into the data for quick service restaurants (QSR), fast casual chains, and grocery stores indicates that more consumers are also looking for new ways to grab a convenient bite.
Since 2019, grocery stores have been claiming an increasingly large share of the midday short visit pie – i.e. visits between 11:00 AM 3:00 PM lasting less than ten minutes – at the expense of QSR chains. This suggests that consumers seeking quick and affordable lunches are increasingly turning to grocery stores to pick up a few items or take advantage of self-service food bars. Notably, the rise in supermarket lunching hasn’t come at the expense of fast-casual restaurants, which have also upped their quick-service games – and have seen a small increase in their share of the quick lunchtime crowd over the past five years.
While some of QSR’s relative decline in short lunchtime visits could be due to discontent with rising fast-food prices, it’s clear that an increasing share of consumers see grocery and fast-casual chains as viable options during the lunch rush.
In 2025, tapping into hot trends and creating viral moments are among the most powerful tools for amplifying promotions and driving foot traffic to physical stores.
Retailers across categories have successfully harnessed the power of pop culture collaborations to generate excitement – and visits – by leaning into trending themes. On October 8th, 2024, for example, Wendy’s launched its epic Krabby Patty Collab, inspired by the beloved SpongeBob franchise. And during the week of the offering, the chain experienced a remarkable 21.5% increase in foot traffic compared to an average week that year.
Similarly, Crumbl – adept at creating buzz through manufactured scarcity – sparked a frenzy with the debut of its exclusive Olivia Rodrigo GUTS cookie. Initially available only at select locations near the artist’s concert venues, the cookie was launched nationwide for a limited time from August 19th to 24th, 2024. This buzz-driven release resulted in a 27.7% traffic surge during the week of the launch, as fans rushed to get a taste of the star-studded treat.
And it’s not just dining chains benefiting from these pop-culture moments. On February 16th, 2025, Bath & Body Works launched a Disney Princess-inspired fragrance line, perfect for fans of Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Moana, and Tiana. The collaboration resonated, fueling a 23.2% visit spike for the chain.
While tapping into existing pop-culture trends has the ability to drive traffic, so does creating a new one. Analysis of movie theater visits on National Popcorn Day (Sunday, January 19th, 2025) shows how initiating a trend can spur social media engagement and impact in-person traffic to physical retail spaces.
National Popcorn Day was a successful promotional holiday across the movie theater industry in 2025. Both Regal Cinemas and AMC Theatres offered popcorn-based promotions on the day, but Cinemark’s “Bring Your Own Bucket” campaign, in particular, appears to have spurred a significant foot traffic boost during the event.
Visits to Cinemark on National Popcorn Day in 2025 increased 57.5% relative to the Sunday visit average for January and February 2025, as movie-goers showed off their out-of-the-bucket popcorn receptacles on social media. Clearly, by starting a trend that invited creativity and expression, Cinemark was able to amplify the impact of its National Popcorn Day promotion.
Location intelligence illuminates some of the key trends shaping consumer behavior in 2025. The data reveals that value-driven shopping, demand for flexibility across touchpoints, and the power of unique retail moments have the power to drive consumer engagement and the success of retail categories, brands, and products.
Placer.ai observes a panel of mobile devices in order to extrapolate and generate visitation insights for a variety of locations across the U.S. This panel covers only visitors from within the United States and does not represent or take into account international visitors.
Downtown districts in the nation’s major cities attract domestic travelers all year long with their iconic sights, lively entertainment, and diverse dining offerings. But each hub follows its own rhythm, shaped by distinct seasonal peaks and dips in visitor flow.
This white paper examines downtown hotel visitation patterns in four of the nation’s most popular destinations for domestic tourists: Miami, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Focusing on 20 downtown hotels in each city, the analysis explores seasonal variations in domestic travel, city-specific dynamics, and differentiating factors.
Domestic tourism has rebounded strongly in recent years, and hotels in Miami and Chicago have been the biggest beneficiaries. In 2024, visits to analyzed hotels in each of these cities’ downtown areas grew by 8.9% and 7.4%, respectively, compared to 2023. Meanwhile, hotels in downtown and midtown Manhattan saw a more modest 2.0% increase, while Los Angeles experienced a slight year-over-year (YoY) decline in downtown hotel visits.
One factor that may be driving Miami and Chicago’s stronger performance is their higher proportion of long-distance visitors, defined as those visiting from over 250 miles away. Miami remains a top destination for snowbirds and spring breakers, while Chicago serves as a cultural and entertainment hub for the sprawling Midwest. These long-distance leisure travelers may be more likely to splurge on downtown hotel stays during their trips, helping drive hotel visit growth in the two cities.
By contrast, hotels in the Los Angeles and Manhattan city centers drew lower shares of domestic travelers coming from less than 250 miles away. These shorter-haul domestic tourists may be less likely to splurge on downtown hotels than those taking longer vacations. Both cities are also surrounded by numerous regional getaway options that can draw long-haul leisure travelers away from their downtown cores.
Each of the four analyzed cities has its own unique ebbs and flows – and city center hotel visits reflect these patterns. Miami, with its warm, sunny climate, experiences influxes of tourists during the winter and spring, with March seeing the biggest jump in downtown hotel visits last year (13.0% above the monthly visit average). Chicago, which thrives in the summer with its many festivals and events, saw its biggest downtown hotel visit bump in August. Meanwhile, Manhattan experienced a major uptick in December, likely fueled by holiday tourism and New Year celebrations, and Los Angeles visits were highest in the summertime.
What drives these seasonal visit peaks? Miami has long been a top tourism destination, especially in early spring, when snowbirds and spring breakers flock to the city for sun and relaxation. In recent years, the city has seen a rise in short-term domestic tourism, suggesting that the city is becoming increasingly popular for weekend getaways. According to the Placer.ai Tourism Dashboard, the share of domestic tourists staying just one or two nights grew from 71.7% in March 2022 to 78.3% in March 2024.
This shift aligns with an impressive increase in the magnitude of downtown Miami’s springtime hotel visit peak: In March 2022, visits to downtown hotels were 5.0% above the monthly average for the year, a share that more than doubled by 2024 to 12.9%.
These numbers may mean that more people are choosing to head to Miami for a quick break from the cold – and staying in downtown hotels to make the most of their short getaway.
Chicago’s major August visit spike was likely driven by the Windy City’s impressive lineup of major summer festivals, from Lollapalooza to the Chicago Air and Water Show, which draw thousands of attendees from across the country.
Lollapalooza fueled the largest visit spike to the city – between Thursday, August 1st and Sunday, August 4th, visits to downtown Chicago hotels surged between 51.1% and 63.8% above 2024 daily averages for those days of the week. The Air and Water Show and the Chicago Jazz Festival also generated significant hotel visit increases – highlighting the boost these events bring to the city’s tourism and hospitality sector.
The Big Apple draws a diverse mix of visitors throughout the year. But in December – the city’s peak tourist season – visitors pour in from all over the country to skate in Rockefeller Center, browse Fifth Avenue’s festive window displays and experience the city’s unique holiday magic.
And analyzing data from hotels in midtown and downtown Manhattan reveals a striking shift in the types of visitors who stay in the heart of NYC during the holiday season. While visitors from other urban centers dominated downtown hotel stays throughout most of the year – accounting for 47.9% of visits from January to November 2024 – their share dropped to 42.0% in December 2024. Meanwhile, the share of guests from suburban areas and small towns rose from 37.3% to 41.0%, and the share of guests from rural and semi-rural areas nearly doubled, from 3.5% to 6.1%.
These patterns suggest that, though Manhattan typically attracts a wide range of visitors, the holiday season is uniquely appealing to tourists from smaller towns and suburban areas. Understanding these trends can provide crucial context for hotels and civic stakeholders alike as they work to maximize the opportunities presented by the city’s December visit surge.
Los Angeles hotels also experience significant demographic shifts during peak season. In July, visits to downtown LA hotels surged by 15.3% relative to the 2024 monthly visit average. And a closer look at audience segmentation data suggests a corresponding surge in the share of "Flourishing Families" – an Experian: Mosaic segment consisting of affluent, middle-aged households with children. Throughout the year, "Flourishing Families" comprised between 7.7% and 8.7% of the census block groups (CBGs) driving visits to downtown LA hotels. But in July, this share jumped to 9.9%.
These families may be taking advantage of summer vacations to enjoy Los Angeles’ cultural attractions and entertainment. Hotels and city stakeholders who understand the appeal the city holds for this demographic can better cater to them through family-friendly promotions and strategic marketing efforts to target these households.
Downtowns are making a comeback – and hotels in the heart of the nation’s major tourist hubs are reaping the benefits. By understanding who frequents these downtown hotels and when, local businesses and civic leaders can optimize their resource management and strategic planning to make the most of these opportunities.
The New York office scene is buzzing once again, as companies from JPMorgan to Meta double down on return-to-office (RTO) mandates. But just how did New York office foot traffic fare in 2024? How did Big Apple office foot traffic compare to that of other major business hubs nationwide? And how is New York’s office recovery impacting post-COVID trends like the TGIF work week? Are office visits still concentrated mid-week, or are people coming in more on Fridays and Mondays? And how has Manhattan’s RTO affected local commuting patterns?
We dove into the data to find out.
In 2024, New York City cemented its position as the nationwide leader in office recovery. Thanks in part to remote work crackdowns by banking behemoths like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan, visits to NYC office buildings in 2024 were just 13.1% below pre-pandemic (2019) levels.
For comparison, Miami’s office foot traffic remained 16.2% below pre-pandemic levels, while Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Boston saw significantly larger gaps at 28.6%, 37.8%, and 43.9%, respectively.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the Big Apple’s robust year-over-five-year (Yo5Y) recovery, the pace of year-over-year (YoY) visit growth to NYC office buildings was somewhat slower in 2024 than in other major East Coast business centers. Still, New York’s YoY office recovery rate of 12.4% outpaced the nationwide baseline, and came in just slightly below Washington, D.C.’s 15.2% and Atlanta’s 14.6%.
Interestingly, New York’s return to office has not led to a significant retreat from the TGIF work week that emerged during COVID. In 2024, just 11.9% of weekday (Monday to Friday) visits to NYC offices took place on Fridays – only slightly more than the 11.5% recorded in 2023 and significantly below the pre-pandemic baseline of 17.2%.
Meanwhile, Monday has quietly regained its footing as the dreaded start of the New York work week. After dropping significantly in 2022 and 2023, the share of weekday office visits taking place on Mondays rebounded to 18.2% in 2024 – just slightly below 2019’s 19.5%. Still, Tuesday remained the Big Apple’s busiest in-office day of the week last year, accounting for nearly a quarter (24.6%) of weekday NYC office foot traffic.
And diving into Yo5Y data for each day of the work week shows just how much New York’s overall recovery is driven by mid-week visits – and especially Tuesday ones. In 2024, Friday visits to NYC office buildings were down 40.2% compared to 2019. But on Tuesdays, visits were essentially on par with pre-pandemic levels (-0.3%), even as nationwide office visits remained 24.6% below 2019.
Another post-COVID trend that has shown staying power in New York is the growing share of office visits coming from employees who live nearby. As hybrid schedules become the norm, it seems that those commuting more frequently are often just a short subway ride -or even a stroll- away.
The share of NYC office workers coming from less than five miles away, for example, has risen steadily since COVID, reaching 46.0% in 2024. Over the same period, the share of workers coming from 5-10 miles, 10-15 miles, or 25+ miles away has declined.
Looking at commuting trends across the East Coast helps put New York City’s shift into perspective. In 2019, NYC’s share of nearby commuters was on par with Washington, D.C. and slightly below Boston. But while both cities experienced moderate increases in local commuters between 2019 and 2024, New York pulled ahead, outpacing all other analyzed cities in its share of nearby office workers last year.
Miami and Atlanta – two other standout cities in office recovery – also saw significant growth in the percentage of short-distance commuters over the past five years. This trend underscores a broader shift: As hybrid work reshapes commuting habits, employees across multiple markets are more likely to go into the office if they live nearby, reducing reliance on long-haul commutes.
As the nation’s office recovery leader, New York offers a glimpse into what other cities can expect as office visitation rates continue to improve. Even at just 13.1% below pre-pandemic levels, NYC office visit levels continue to rise. And as recovery nears completion, trends that took hold during COVID remain firmly entrenched.
