Officials say Country Calling is the reason Ocean City saw an uptick in lodging numbers for the month of October.
On Monday, Bill Obreiter of Zartico – the city’s data research firm – presented members of the Ocean City Tourism Commission with an update on lodging performance from Oct. 1 through Oct. 30.
He noted that chain hotels reported $8.3 million in revenue, while short-term rentals reported $2.2 million. Average daily rates (ADR), he added, had increased roughly 4% for hotels and 20% for vacation rentals, when compared to the same period last year.
“While paid occupancy was up versus October 1, we did see a decrease in overall paid occupancy of about a third of a percent in market,” he said. “We did see an increase of 4% on ADR, overall stay nights did increase and revPAR (revenue per available room) shows an increase of 4% as well.”
Obreiter attributed the strong lodging data to the October music festival, held Oct. 3-5. He noted that hotel revenue increased 25% from last year, and that occupancy increased 21%.
“What we saw overall was an increase of 25% in collected revenue for that time period through the chain hotels and market, and amazing occupancy – especially for October – at almost 85%,” he said, “one of the highest occupancies we’ve seen in a shoulder or off-season to date.”
While the average daily rate was projected to reach $268 for chain hotels during Country Calling, the rate reached $273, Obreiter said. He also noted that occupancy remained strong, particularly on the last day of the festival. Sunday’s occupancy rate increased from 53% in 2024 to 78% in 2025.
“People didn’t just drive home,” he said. “So really good success there.”