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Against the backdrop of what remains a challenging time for full-service restaurants (FSRs), we dove into the data to check in with three of America’s leading FSR chains – First Watch, Texas Roadhouse, and Applebee’s. How did they fare in Q2 2024? And what lies in store for them in the months ahead?
First Watch has emerged as a rising star in recent years, rapidly expanding its footprint while at the same time taking pains to preserve the feel of a small, local eatery. The restaurant is nimble on its feet – growing its audience through a strategy centered on continual menu innovation and special seasonal offerings.
In the past year alone, First Watch added dozens of new locations to its fleet. And foot traffic data shows that the chain’s aggressive growth strategy is meeting robust demand. In Q2 2024, YoY visits to First Watch grew by 16.0%, far outperforming FSR and diner & breakfast chain averages. And perhaps more importantly, the average number of visits to each individual First Watch restaurant rose 5.8% over the same period.
Texas Roadhouse is another chain that has been crushing it in 2024 – and not just on Father’s Day. Over the past year, the popular steakhouse opened some 30 new U.S. locations, and plans to continue expanding this year.
And foot traffic data shows that Texas Roadhouse’s high-quality, affordable offerings are resonating with consumers. Despite inflation-driven price hikes, YoY visits to the chain have continued to grow. And though some of this increase is due to the restaurant’s expansion, the average number of visits per location has also been on the rise: Between January and June 2024, Texas Roadhouse experienced near-consistent YoY visit and visit-per-location growth. Only in January and in April did visits per location falter, likely due to January’s inclement weather and an April Easter calendar shift.
On a quarterly basis, too, foot traffic to Texas Roadhouse increased 6.2% in Q2 2024 – significantly outpacing averages for both steakhouses (2.6%) and full-service restaurants (1.2%).
Like many full-service restaurants, Dine Brands’ Applebee’s has faced its share of headwinds in recent years. Over the past 12 months, Applebee’s shuttered at least 30 locations, contributing to a drop in the chain’s overall foot traffic. But analyzing changes in the average number of visits to each Applebee’s restaurant shows that the closures may actually be helping to put Applebee’s back on a firmer footing.
In Q2 2023, visits to Applebee’s nationwide declined 3.7% YoY, while the average number of visits per location dropped 2.7%. Since then, the chain’s YoY visit gap has narrowed – while the average number of visits per location has begun to increase. And in Q2 2024, Applebee’s closed its overall YoY visit gap and grew its visits per location by 2.3%. Though the chain has yet to return to positive unit growth, the rightsizing of its fleet appears to be bolstering Applebee’s remaining stores – positioning it for long-term success.
Full-service restaurants have had a tough time in recent years, and concerns that consumer spending may moderate as the year wears on continue to weigh on the industry. Still, foot traffic data suggests that consumers are once again visiting restaurants – fueling expansion for First Watch and Texas Roadhouse, and helping shore up Applebee’s long-term prospects.
What does the rest of 2024 have in store for restaurant chains?
Follow Placer.ai’s data-driven restaurant analyses to find out.
Albertsons Companies, Inc. is one of the country’s largest grocery holding companies. The company operates various well-known grocery banners, including Albertsons, Safeway, Jewel-Osco, and Shaw's Supermarket.
We examined the visit performance of some of the brand’s major banners to see how they are faring as the second half of the year gets underway.
Albertsons Companies, Inc. operates over 2,200 stores across 36 states, and Safeway, with 918 stores, is the company’s largest banner by far. Unsurprisingly, Safeway also pulls in the greatest share of visits, accounting for 44.5% of foot traffic to Albertsons brands between January and June 2024. Albertsons and Jewel-Osco banners, with 379 and 188 stores, respectively, accounted for 17.9% and 10.7% of all visits to the company’s portfolio in H1 2024. The remaining 27.6% of visits went to smaller brands, including VONS (8.5%), ACME Markets (5.7%), and Shaw’s Supermarket (4.7%).
A look at recent visits to some of Albertsons' major banners shows that the brand has fared well in a period noted for value grocery dominance. Though Albertsons brands fall squarely into the traditional grocery store category, its banners experienced near-consistent YoY visit growth in H1 2024, with June 2024 visits between 5.7% and 11.7% higher than they were in June 2023.
Recognizing the increased focus among grocery shoppers on value, Albertsons has been enhancing its loyalty program, initially launched in 2021 and revamped in April 2024. The new "Albertsons for U" program unified its points currency while adding new perks, including discounts on groceries and gas for enrolled members. And the program seems to be spurring shoppers to do their weekly shopping at the company’s various banners.
The percentage of visits to Albertsons banners made by customers visiting a chain at least four times in a month increased each year analyzed. For example, in June 2022, 54.8% of Safeway visits came from shoppers who visited the chain at least four times during the month; by June 2024, that number increased to 56.3%. Similarly, the share of visits to Jewel-Osco from weekly shoppers increased from 54.8% to 57.1% over the same period. These patterns repeated at Shaw's Supermarket, ACME Markets, United Supermarkets, VONS, and Tom Thumb.
The rise in loyalty rates across all banners indicates that Albertsons’ focus on enhancing customer experience and engagement has paid off. As the chain continues to lay the groundwork for its planned merger with Kroger, its increasingly loyal customer base will remain a powerful asset.
Albertsons remains one of the most dominant grocery holding companies in the country, and its banners have maintained strong yearly growth, both in terms of visits and loyalty.
Will visits to Albertsons brands continue to grow into the second half of the year?
Visit Placer.ai to keep on top of the latest grocery insights.
Professional sports rank among the most profitable industries for sponsorships and brand partnerships. These partnerships, such as Nike's collaboration with the NFL or Coca-Cola's long-standing relationship with the Olympics, offer immense value through enhanced brand visibility and increased consumer engagement.
Today, we took a look at two sports partnership agreements – one between DICK’s Sporting Goods and the Boston Celtics and Red Sox, and another between BIGGBY COFFEE and the Detroit Tigers – to explore the impact of these deals.
DICK’s Sporting Goods recently announced a major partnership with Boston’s beloved Celtics (NBA) and Red Sox (MLB) teams. The partnership was announced shortly after the grand opening of Boston’s new DICK’s House of Sport venue at 760 Boylston Street – which was attended by Red Sox and Celtics legends like David Ortiz and Larry Bird. In addition to signage and logo placement at TD Garden and Fenway Park, the deal grants DICK’s IP rights to be used locally, both in the House of Sport and online.
A look at cross-visitation patterns between DICK’s Sporting Goods and TD Garden and Fenway Park shows that this partnership is likely to be beneficial to both sides. The share of stadium visitors that also visited DICK’s Sporting Goods (nationwide) rose in May and June 2024, outpacing last year’s levels. And a respective 35.4% and 23.9% of visitors to DICK’s new local House of Sport in May and June 2024 also visited Fenway Park and TD Garden – more than the share that visited other major Boston landmarks like Faneuil Hall.
Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, which hosts the Detroit Tigers baseball team, launched a partnership with Michigan-based BIGGBY COFFEE in 2023.
Since the partnership began, there has been a noticeable rise in visits to local BIGGBY COFFEE locations. During the 2023 baseball season, visits per location to BIGGBY COFFEE in the Detroit area were 6.3% higher than during the 2022 season – while nationwide visits per location to the chain dropped slightly compared to the previous year, with 0.3% fewer visits than in 2022%.
Similarly, the share of Comerica Park visitors frequenting a BIGGY COFFEE location at least once during the baseball season increased after the sponsorship deal. In 2022, 21.7% of visitors to Comerica Park also visited a BIGGBY; by 2023, this share increased to 25.8%.
The marriage of sports and sponsorships is a long-standing one – and harnessing location analytics can help sports leagues and teams find partnerships that resonate with sports fans.
For more data-driven marketing insights, visit Placer.ai.
We’ve discussed the meteoric rise of warehouse clubs, particularly in relation to their mass merchant counterparts so far in 2024. Clubs continue to provide all three components of what makes retail successful today; unique products, value and a positive in-store experience. And as we previously highlighted, each club has its unique value proposition that drives engagement with its members.
A few weeks ago, at the Bank of America London Investor Conference, Walmart CFO John David Rainey, spoke about the growth of Sam’s Club and the relationship between that growth and Millennials and Gen Z cohorts. He mentioned that those two groups represent the highest level of growth to the Sam’s Club business, and logically, against the backdrop of changes across the retail industry, this makes sense. As this group ages into the family formation life stage, their retail needs change, and coupled with migration patterns since the pandemic, most likely more space means more bulk.
Using Placer’s foot traffic estimates and Experian Mosaic lifestyle cohorts, we compared the first six months of 2019 to the first six months of this year to determine if this trend also was reflected in consumer visits. Costco showed a 50-basis-point increase in visits from trade areas with a higher percentage of Singles and Starters and Promising Families, both groups that align with Millennial and Gen Z life stages. Those cohorts also represented the highest levels of change over the five years of any group of Costco trade area constituents.
Sam’s Club tells a similar story, if not one that is even more compelling. Singles & Starters, as of 2024, represented the highest percentage of visitors, and increased 80 basis points from 2019. Promising Families also increased by 20 basis points over the same period, while many segments of more mature consumers declined in percentage over the five year period. Both Sam’s Club and Costco have grown visits so far in 2024, and it’s likely that the growth is being fueled by younger shoppers.
Migration from urban environments to more suburban and rural areas as well as aging into larger spaces both could play a role in the growth in popularity of warehouse clubs by younger consumers. This sector of retail relies on, and greatly benefits from loyalty, and getting buy-in from elusive younger consumers can provide some more long-term stability for Sam’s Club and Costco. With Costco’s announcement this week that it will be raising prices on memberships for the first time since 2017, focusing on those newer, younger members with higher earning potential may help to alleviate some of the pressure. Younger visitors may be enticed by the food court, stocking up on essentials or impulsive items, and warehouse clubs are welcoming this next wave of consumers through their doors.
Food retail’s “Battle Royale” officially moved on to its next round with the introduction of McDonald’s $5 Meal Deal on June 25. We’ve previously discussed how value-oriented grocers have disrupted McDonald’s and the broader QSR category and how casual dining chains shot the first shots in this summer’s value wars with extreme value offerings, but given McDonald’s reach, we wanted to take a closer look at this promotion and its ripple effect across the food retail landscape.
The Placer Blog looked at the impact of several recent limited time offers across the restaurant industry this week, but we thought we’d specifically look at McDonald’s and its direct competitors. After slower year-over-year visitation trends during April and the first half of May, we saw much stronger trends across the QSR category in June, especially those with bundled meal promotions like Jack in the Box, Wendy’s, Arby’s, and Burger King. McDonald’s visits actually declined year-over-year during the first week of the $5 Meal Deal promotion, but that was more of a function of lapping last year’s viral Grimace Shake promotion (the strength of the year-over-two-year visit trends below also supports this). Last week’s visitation trends accelerated on both a one- and two-year basis, reinforcing how important value is for driving visits for QSR consumers.
While consumers have responded positively to McDonald’s and other QSR chains’ bundled value promotions, we’ve yet to see a material impact on grocery visits over the same time period (both value and conventional grocers continue to see positive year-over-year growth). To us, there are probably a few reasons for this: (1) grocery stores have also been promotional over the corresponding period, something we’ve called out a few times the past few months; (2) consumers are still shopping a wider number of total food retail locations as they seek out deals and have incorporated QSR bundled value meals into their current shopping behavior; and (3) distortion in year-over-year numbers due to last week’s 4th of July holiday (which saw strong year-over-year visit trends).
As inflation continues to squeeze household budgets, restaurants are turning to limited-time offers (LTOs) to attract cost-conscious consumers. These promotions help create buzz among patrons and drive foot traffic.
We take a closer look at several dining chains – Buffalo Wild Wings, Starbucks, Chili’s, and McDonald’s – to see how their recent LTOs were received by diners.
Buffalo Wild Wings is no stranger to limited-time offers – the chicken-centric restaurant gave away free chicken wings after this year’s Superbowl went into overtime, marked National Beer Day with $5 beers, and offered a whole slew of March Madness deals.
The chain’s recently introduced LTO – unlimited boneless wings every Monday and Wednesday for just $19.99 – launched on May 13th, and is slated to run through July 10th, 2024. And comparing visitation patterns during the seven-week period immediately following the launch (May 12th - June 29th, 2024) to those during the seven-week period preceding the launch (March 24th - May 11th, 2024), shows just how well-received this LTO has been.
Foot traffic to Buffalo Wild Wings rose 8.1% immediately after the launch, largely due to outsized Monday and Wednesday visit increases of 45.6% and 49.3%, respectively. And during the seven-week period following the introduction of the LTO, the chain’s share of Monday visits shot up from 9.1% to 12.3%, while its share of Wednesday visits increased from 10.2% to 14.1%.
Starbucks has been leaning into value offerings – and in addition to its new “pairings” menu, the coffee giant also rolled out a limited-time 50% Friday discount exclusively for app users, which began on May 10th, 2024 and lasted through the month. Analyzing Starbucks’ visitation patterns shows that the promotion led to a significant increase in Friday foot traffic at Starbucks locations nationwide.
Compared to the year-to-date average, visits to Starbucks on Fridays following the launch experienced a noticeable increase in visits. Where the visits to Starbucks on Friday May 3rd, before the promotion launched, were 1.1% lower than the year-to-date (YtD) Friday visit average, visits on May 10th – when the promotion launched – jumped by 20.0% above the YTD visit average.
This special, which excluded hot brewed coffee and tea, seems to have met people’s desires for a refreshing afternoon or pre-weekend pick-me-up.
On April 29th, 2024, Chili's Grill & Bar revamped its "3 for Me" menu, which offers customers a customizable three-course meal at a value price – and weekly YoY visits to Chili’s have been strongly elevated ever since. Even before the updated menu roll out, YoY foot traffic to Chili’s was largely positive, reaching 8.6% in the week of April 1st, 2024. But since the kickoff, YoY visits have remained consistently higher – and have yet to taper off.
In addition to Chili’s new Big Smasher Burger, another menu item that seems to be driving excitement is its chicken sandwich – an offering that tends to increase foot traffic wherever it shows up.
McDonald’s has also been a leader at boosting visits by offering limited edition sauces, drinks, and deals. And the chain’s most recent LTO leans hard on consumers’ recent affinity for value. On June 25th, 2024, the chain announced a $5 Meal Deal, which includes a McDouble or McChicken, 4-piece Chicken McNuggets, small fries, and a small soft drink.
These deeply discounted prices are likely to be particularly appealing to customers against the backdrop of McDonald’s rising menu prices, which have been significantly impacted by inflation. Indeed, foot traffic to the chain jumped following the $5 special launch, with visits to McDonald’s exceeding year-to-date daily visit averages.
The Tuesday of the launch – June 25th – was McDonald’s busiest Tuesday of the year thus far (outpaced since by July 2nd), drawing 8.0% more visits than the year-to-date Tuesday average. And similar patterns repeated across all days following the launch, signifying how well-received this special has been among McDonald’s fans.
The foot traffic boosts provided by these limited-time-offers prove that, in times of inflationary pressure, a good deal can continue to bring visitors into a fast-food spot.
How will the dining value wars continue to play out in the months ahead?
Visit Placer.ai to find out.
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.
