Wichita Falls has high rate of new hotel construction

A new study shows the number of new hotels in the Wichita Falls metro area has outpaced national figures over the past few years.

The analysis from Luxury Link indicated between 2019 and 2023 the total number of hotels in the Wichita Falls metro climbed to 34. That’s 9.7% higher than the national increase of 7.3%.

On the downside, the survey shows hotel employment here dropped 13.7% over the period. That’s a loss of about 65 workers.

That trend is nationwide, though, according to the travel website’s study. Hotel employment dropped more than 50% in the second quarter of 2020 and has been slow to recover since the pandemic. The company said as of the third quarter of 2024, the hotel sector employed roughly 1.87 million workers, which is…