Press Kit

GRANITE STATE COLLEGE DEMOGRAPHIC STUDY OFFERS INSIGHT INTO LODGING IN MT WASHINGTON VALLEY, NH
Mt Washington Valley offers nearly 6000 guest rooms/rental units

North Conway, NH -- Granite State College students in Dr. Michelle Capozzoli's Introduction to Statistics course in Conway learned what it is like to be a statistician throughout the past year. GSC Conway Regional Center and the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce teamed up and offered GSC students a project based learning experience. For the past year, the MWVCC have been working on the implementation of a statistical study that would evaluate and track the economic and commercial health of the Mt. Washington Valley. Part of the analyses entailed conducting a demographic study to determine the lodging property population and the number of rental units in the valley. Students in the course constructed a database of 171 lodging properties which was subsequently analyzed and the results of which were presented to the MWVCC Lodging Committee in April, 2009. This collaboration carries on GSC's tradition of engaging students and community in project based learning. The Mt Washington Valley benefits, while the students are learning critical job skills that will that will serve them as they enter a service-orientated, entrepreneurial workforce.

The Information on the 171 Mt Washington Valley properties was gathered from websites and phone calls during the first quarter of 2009. The following information offers valuable insight into the composition and demographics of Mt Washington Valley's lodging community.

GEOGRAPHIC MIX OF MT WASHINGTON VALLEY'S LODGING COMMUNITY:

North Conway has the largest number of lodging properties in Mt Washington Valley (51) followed by Jackson (19). Yet each of the towns that make up Mt Washington Valley offer lodging options for those visiting Mt Washington Valley. This chart displays the number of lodging properties in each town.

TOWN

NUMBER OF LODGING PROPERTIES

Albany 4
Bartlett 11
Bretton Woods 7
Bridgton 1
Brownfield 2
Center Conway 3
Center Lovell 1
Center Ossipee 1
Chocorua 3
Conway 8
East Madison 2
Eaton 1
Effingham 1
Freedom 3
Fryeburg 6
Glen 8
Gorham 9
Harts Location 1
Intervale 8
Jackson 19
Lovell 3
Madison 1
North Conway 51
Pinkham Notch 1
Sandwich 3
Shelburne 3
Silver Lake 1
Snowville 2
Tamworth 4
Twin Mountain 1
West Ossipee 1
Whitefield 1

TYPE OF LODGING PROPERTIES:

The study confirmed that with close to 50 B&Bs in Mt Washington Valley, bed and breakfasts top the list for lodging type in the Valley, making it a popular destination for B&B travelers, yet a competitive market for innkeepers. Below, find a chart depicting the lodging type mix in Mt Washington Valley. Each property was labeled as: B&B, B&B w/Cottage, Condo/Rental, Country Inn w/Fine Dining, Hostel, Hotel, Motel, Motel w/Cottage, Resort/Conference Center.

Types of Lodging Properties in the MWV
Type of Property/Number of Properties

B&B 49
B&B w/Cottage 5
Condo / Rental 25
Country Inn W/Fine Dining 20
Hostel 3
Hotel 9
Motel 39
Motel w/Cottages 6
Resort/Conference Center 15

NUMBER OF UNITS: During the study, each property was asked to indicate the number of rental units available. A rental unit could be a room, suite, condominium, cottage, etc. There are 5991 rental units in Mt Washington Valley. Most of the properties in the region have less than 40 units with an average of 17 units. This is a reflection of the large number of B&Bs and motels in the valley. The largest lodging properties in Mt Washington Valley are: Mt Washington Resort (372 units), Attitash Mountain Village (350 units), North Conway Grand (200 units), Eastern Slopes Inn (200 units) and The Seasons Condominium Resorts (176 units).

Distribution of the Number of Rental Units
Number of Properties 171
Mean Number of Rental Units 35.035
Median Number of Rental Units 17
Std Dev 52.848
Range 371
Min Number of Rental Units 1
Max Number of Rental Units 372

PRICE RANGE: The lowest and highest rental rates based on double occupancy were reported for each property. On average, the lowest rate is $89.00 and the highest is $199.50 per night. The large variability in the data is due to the fact that condominium rentals were included in this analysis.

Low Room Rates

Number of Properties Reporting 167
Mean Room Rate $116.66
Median Room Rate $89.00
Std Dev $169.68
Range $1872.00
Min Room Rate $23.00
Max Room Rate $1895.00

High Room Rates
Number of Properties Reporting 166
Mean Room Rate $324.65
Median Room Rate $199.50
Std Dev $584.70
Range $6540.00
Min Room Rate $55.00
Max Room Rate $6595.00

AMENITIES: The following tables summarize the amenities found in the 171 lodging properties studied. It is interesting to note that almost half of the lodging properties offer pools, and close to three out of four offer wireless computer access. The totals may not add up to 171 since information was missing or unreported for some properties:

RESTAURANT YES:48 NO:119

BREAKFAST YES:106 NO:61

KITCHENETTE YES:76 NO:91

POOL YES:88 NO:80

MEETING YES:47 NO:119

WIRELESS YES:131 NO:35

SPA YES:27 NO:139

FITNESS YES:37 NO:130

SKIING YES:34 NO:133

GOLF YES:21 NO:146

PET FRIENDLY YES:65 NO:101

ADA CERTIFIED YES:19 NO:144

DESIGNATED SMOKING ROOM YES:29 NO:134

For more information on lodging, dining, tax-free shopping and recreation in Mt Washington Valley, and to plan the next getaway, visit http://www.mtwashingtonvalley.org// or call 1-800-D0-SEE-NH (800-367-3364) for more information.

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