Anchorage Lodging Market: Winter 2021 Update

Kasia M. Russell | February 23, 2021

By Kasia Russell and Breanna Smith Amid a worldwide pandemic, the Anchorage lodging industry continues to experience a downturn that is greater than the past two lodging-market declines combined. The major factors that have affected this market since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 are highlighted below. Key Factors in 2020 Unlike many other U.S. markets, Anchorage did not initially experience the severity of the pandemic given that oil and gas operations, Alaska’s largest economic driver, remained essential; thus, no major layoffs or furloughs were instituted, and workers continued to travel to/from drilling locations. F...