Photo: Park City Chamber & Visitors Bureau.

Travel + Leisure cited average nightly rates of $1,621, nearly double the Park City Chamber’s peak 2024 average daily rate of $931.

PARK CITY, Utah — A recent Travel + Leisure story that labeled Park City the nation’s most expensive ski town for lodging is prompting questions locally, as the Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau said the outlet cited nightly rates don’t align with the destination’s own performance data.

In a story published Dec. 14, Travel + Leisure reported that HotelPlanner analyzed “winter 2026 booking data” for Park City and Salt Lake City in Utah, plus Aspen and Vail in Colorado, and found Park City had the highest average accommodation cost at $1,621 per night. The article said Park City “beats out Aspen, Vail, and Salt Lake City for luxury lodging costs, with rates topping $1,600 a night,” and described the Sundance Film Festival season as a factor that can drive prices up.

After TownLift asked about the figures, Dan Howard, the Chamber’s vice president of communications, said the organization was also surprised by the numbers.

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“We were as surprised as you were to see the Travel + Leisure story numbers. Not sure how they calculated that,” Howard shared. “It is encouraging to know that our marketing of Park City has been effective in attracting outstanding winter visitors for our town’s hotels, restaurants, retailers, and attractions. At the same time, we know that Park City offers a wide range of lodging options, from family-friendly homes and hotels to luxury resorts.”

Park City’s 2024 average daily hotel rate reached $931 in February and dropped to $296 in May, according to Destimetrics data shared by the Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau.

Howard also pointed to Destimetrics data that the Chamber uses to track lodging performance. The chamber said its average daily rate figures reflect a 12-month period based on 2024 performance. In the Destimetrics summary shared with TownLift, Park City’s occupancy was up 5.2% year over year, average daily rate was up 15.6%, and revenue per available room was up 21.6%.

The Chamber’s Destimetrics chart shows that monthly average daily rates in 2024 peaked at $931 in February and dropped to about $296 in May, with winter rates generally in the high-$800s to low-$900s range. This highlights a significant difference between peak winter rates and those in the shoulder seasons.