Houston's March hotel bookings are expected to break record

Driving the news: Hotel bookings reserved through the end of March are 15% higher than the record-breaking March 2025, according to Houston First, the city's tourism agency.

• The agency did not disclose to Axios the number of rooms that were booked but noted the data includes hundreds of thousands of reservations throughout the Houston region.

What they're saying: "We think we're going to have another record and possibly the best month we've had," Houston First vice president of corporate communications A.J. Mistretta tells Axios.

• "From a revenue standpoint, this will definitely be the best month if it tracks," Mistretta says.

The big picture: Increased hotel revenue bodes well for the city, which is relying on hotel occupancy taxes to fund a $2 billion expansion of the George R. Brown Convention Center — the centerpiece of Whitmire's vision for enhancing Houston's reputation as a "top-tier convention and entertainment destination."

Yes, but: The surge in visitors, paired with security staffing vacancies at Hobby and Bush Intercontinental airports amid the partial government shutdown, caused massive delays.

How it happened: World-renowned events were a magnet for visitors.

• Bookings started strong with more than 80,000 people in town for the inaugural Pro Cheer League cheerleading competition at Toyota Center and continued with events like CERAWeek, the World Baseball Classic, the Houston Open and March Madness.

The bottom line: When adding local events like the Houston Rodeo and the Astros' opening day, everything mixed together "to create the perfect storm in the best sense," Mistretta says.