We have good and bad news from the hospitality front.

First, the good news:
Hotel occupancy figures in three Northern Colorado cities were all up in October compared to the previous October, according to the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association.

The rate in Estes Park came in at 55.7 percent compared to 52 percent in October 2010. In Fort Collins, occupancy increased from 58.2 percent to 63.4 percent, and in Loveland, the rate rose from 63.7 percent to 70.2 percent.

Better yet, this trend isn't unique to our part of the state.

After two very crummy years, the occupancy rate statewide increased from 61 percent in October 2010 to 63.5 percent this October.

The hospitality industry, in short, appears to be turning the corner.

Now here's the bad news:
The Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority is once more trying to lure a hotel developer to Old Town. The DDA would like to see a 180-room hotel with ballroom space.