Solid year for Socal hotels

Not much doubt about the pickup in tourism: Occupancy at L.A. County hotels was 75.2 percent in 2011, up 4.6 percent from the previous year (anything over 70 percent is considered good), while room rates averaged $153.57 a night, up 5.8 percent. Revenue per room, which is a key industry metric, rose 10.7 percent. (All figures from Colliers PKF via OC Register). Results were strong throughout Socal - occupancy rates were up 3.6 percent in OC and 3.4 percent in San Diego. They generally match an increase in passenger traffic at LAX. Employment in L.A.'s hotel industry rose about 3 percent last year, which sounds like good news until you realize that those are almost all low-wage jobs.