HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-11-2026 TBID Agenda Packet
Tourism Business Improvement District Board
AGENDA
Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 10:00 a.m.
Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
The Tourism Business Improvement District Board holds in-person meetings. Zoom participation will
not be supported at this time. Attendees of City Council or Advisory Body meetings are eligible to
receive one hour of complimentary parking; restrictions apply, visit Parking for Public Meetings for
more details.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT:
Public Comment prior to the meeting (must be received 3 hours in advance of the meeting):
Mail - Delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Address letters to the City Clerk's Office at 990
Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California, 93401.
Email - Submit Public Comments via email to advisorybodies@slocity.org. In the body of your
email, please include the date of the meeting and the item number (if applicable). Emails will not
be read aloud during the meeting.
Voicemail - Call (805) 781-7164 and leave a voicemail. Please state and spell your name, the
agenda item number you are calling about, and leave your comment. Verbal comments must be
limited to 3 minutes. Voicemails will not be played during the meeting.
*All correspondence will be archived and distributed to members, however, submissions received
after the deadline may not be processed until the following day.
Public Comment during the meeting:
Meetings are held in-person. To provide public comment during the meeting, you must be
present at the meeting location.
Electronic Visual Aid Presentation. To conform with the City's Network Access and Use Policy,
Chapter 1.3.8 of the Council Policies & Procedures Manual, members of the public who desire
to utilize electronic visual aids to supplement their oral presentation must provide display-ready
material to the City Clerk by 12:00 p.m. on the day before the meeting. Contact the City Clerk's
Office at cityclerk@slocity.org or (805) 781-7114.
Pages
1.CALL TO ORDER
Chair Pearce will call the Regular Meeting of the Tourism Business
Improvement District Board to order.
2.PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
At this time, people may address the Committee about items not on the agenda.
Comments are limited to three minutes per person. Items raised at this time are
generally referred to staff and, if action by the Committee is necessary, may be
scheduled for a future meeting.
3.CONSENT
3.a MINUTES OF TBID REGULAR MEETING ON JANUARY 14, 2026 5
3.b SMITH TRAVEL REPORT (STR)9
3.c TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORT 11
3.d SLO CHAMBER PUBLIC RELATIONS MONTHLY REPORT 13
3.e SLO CHAMBER GUEST SERVICES MONTHLY REPORT 17
3.f NOBLE STUDIOS & UNIQUELY DRIVEN MARKETING MONTHLY
REPORT
21
3.g BADGER BRANDING ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT 31
4.PRESENTATIONS
4.a MARKETING SERVICES QUARTERLY REPORT (25 MINUTES)
Representatives from Noble Studios will present the second quarter
report for the marketing activities for the SLO TBID.
4.b VISIT SLO CAL VISITOR PROFILE STUDY (15 MINUTES)
Representatives from Visit SLO CAL will share the results from the 2025
Visitor Profile Study conducted by Heart and Mind Strategies that Visit
SLO participated in as a co-op.
4.c VISIT SLO BRAND SENTIMENT SURVEY (20 MINUTES)
Noble Studios will present the findings from the recent Brand Sentiment
Tracker Study, conducted in partnership with Wiser Insights.
4.d SLO CAL WELCOME PROGRAM (15 MINUTES)
Representatives from Visit SLO CAL will share updates on the refreshed
SLO CAL Welcome Training Program.
5.BUSINESS ITEMS
5.a VISIT SLO CAL MARKETING & PR CO-OP FOR WORLD CUP AND
HIGHWAY 1 RE-OPENING (15 MINUTES)
Staff will present the recommendation of the TBID Marketing
Subcommittee for the Board's review and approval on a co-op
opportunity from Visit SLO CAL to participate in additional marketing
and PR activities related to the World Cup and Highway 1 reopening.
6.TBID LIAISON REPORTS & COMMUNICATION
6.a HOTELIER UPDATE
6.b MARKETING COMMITTEE UPDATE
6.c MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE
6.d PCC UPDATE 41
6.e VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE
6.f TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE
7.ADJOURNMENT
The Regular Meeting of March, 11, 2026, is cancelled and rescheduled. The
next rescheduled Regular Meeting of the Promotional Coordinating Committee
will be Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at 10 a.m. in the Council Hearing Room at
City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo.
LISTENING ASSISTIVE DEVICES are available -- see the Clerk
The City of San Luis Obispo wishes to make all of its public meetings accessible
to the public. Upon request, this agenda will be made available in appropriate
alternative formats to persons with disabilities. Any person with a disability who
requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting
should direct such request to the City Clerk’s Office at (805) 781-7114 at least
48 hours before the meeting, if possible. Telecommunications Device for the
Deaf (805) 781-7410.
Agenda related writings or documents provided to the Tourism Business
Improvement District Board are available for public inspection on the City’s
website, under the Public Meeting Agendas web page:
https://www.slocity.org/government/mayor-and-city-council/agendas-and-
minutes. Meeting video recordings can be found on the City’s website:
http://opengov.slocity.org/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=61016&dbid=0&repo=CityCl
erk
1
Tourism Business Improvement District Board Minutes
January 14, 2026, 10:00 a.m.
Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
TBID Board Present: Member Christine Nelson, Member Nipool Patel, Member Dante
Specchierla, Vice Chair Lori Keller, Chair Clint Pearce
TBID Board Absent: Member Mark Eads, Member Prashant Patel
City Staff Present: Economic Development & Tourism Manager Laura Fiedler
_____________________________________________________________________
1. CALL TO ORDER
A Regular Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Tourism Business Improvement
District Board was called to order on January 14, 2026 at 10:02 a.m. in the
Council Hearing Room at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, by Chair
Pearce.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
Public Comment:
Garret Olson introduced himself as the new CEO of the San Luis Obispo
Chamber of Commerce.
--End of Public Comment--
3. CONSENT
Motion By Member Keller
Second By Member Specchierla
To approve Consent Items 3a to 3g
Ayes (5): Vice Chair L. Keller, Member D. Specchierla, Member C. Nelson,
Member N. Patel and Chair C. Pearce
Absent (2): Member M. Eads and Member P. Patel
CARRIED (5 to 0)
3.a MINUTES OF TBID REGULAR MEETING ON NOVEMBER 12, 2025
3.b SMITH TRAVEL REPORT (STR)
3.c TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORT
Page 5 of 44
2
3.d SLO CHAMBER PUBLIC RELATIONS MONTHLY REPORT
3.e SLO CHAMBER GUEST SERVICES MONTHLY REPORT
3.f NOBLE STUDIOS & UNIQUELY DRIVEN MARKETING MONTHLY
REPORT
3.g BADGER BRANDING ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT
4. PRESENTATIONS
4.a Q3 MEDIA PLAN UPDATE (10 MINUTES)
Danni Winter, Director of Integrated Planning & Paid Media, Hayley
Corbett, Associate Director of Client Experience, and B.C. LeDoux,
Managing Partner at Noble Studios, presented the Q3 Media Plan Update.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action was taken on this item.
4.b PUBLIC RELATIONS AND GUEST SERVICES QUARTERLY REPORT
(20 MINUTES)
Yanick Dalhouse, CEO & Founder, and Autumn Enoch, PR & Media
Relations Lead, at Uniquely Driven and Hollie West and Brianna Harris
from the SLO Chamber of Commerce provided the Public Relations and
Guest Services Quarterly Report.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action was taken on this item.
4.c CONTENT MARKETING QUARTERLY REPORT (15 MINUTES)
Molly Leonardo and Katy McGrath from Badger Branding provided the
Content Marketing Quarterly Report.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Page 6 of 44
3
Action: No action was taken on this item.
4.d CALIFORNIA MAIN STREET CONFERENCE RECAP (10 MINUTES)
LeBren Harris and Ali Bailey from Downtown SLO and Brooke Fox from
CA Main Street presented a recap of the conference sponsored by Visit
SLO in October 2025.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action was taken on this item.
5. BUSINESS ITEMS
5.a SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPORT PROPOSAL (10 MINUTES)
Hayley Corbett from Noble Studios presented the Supplemental Support
Proposal to extend consultation support services until mid-February 2026
in response to extended family leave by City staff.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Motion By Member Specchierla
Second By Member Nelson
To approve the use of the $3,885 contingency budget (previously
approved by the TBID Board in June 2025 for supplemental support from
August – December 2025) for the extension of Noble Studios consultation
support services until mid-February 2026.
Ayes (5): Member D. Specchierla, Member C. Nelson, Member N. Patel,
Vice Chair L. Keller, and Chair Pearce
Absent (2): Member M. Eads, and Member P. Patel
CARRIED (5 to 0)
6. TBID LIAISON REPORTS & COMMUNICATION
6.a HOTELIER UPDATE
No hotelier updates.
Page 7 of 44
4
6.b MARKETING COMMITTEE UPDATE
The marketing committee did not meet in November or December.
6.c MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE
The management committee did not meet in November or December.
6.d PCC UPDATE
Member D. Specchierla provided a brief update on PCC activities.
6.e VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE
Kristen Carlson from Visit SLO CAL provided a brief update on the
Spartan Race.
6.f TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE
Economic Development & Tourism Manager Laura Fiedler provided the
Tourism Program Update.
7. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 11:38 a.m. The next Regular Meeting of the
Tourism Business Improvement District Board is scheduled for February 11,
2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the Council Hearing Room at City Hall, 990 Palm Street,
San Luis Obispo.
_________________________
APPROVED BY TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT BOARD:
XX/XX/202X
Page 8 of 44
JANUARY 2026
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
California 48.38 58.74 51.34
155.45 170.71 160.44
75.21 100.28 82.37
-10.24 -4.20 -8.35
-5.14 -3.27 -4.40
-14.85 -7.33 -12.38
City of Paso Robles 33.91 48.61 38.11 126.47 182.86 147.02 42.89 88.88 56.03 -20.66 -10.70 -17.30 -5.22 2.60 -1.03 -24.80 -8.38 -18.15
City of Pismo Beach 38.98 54.58 43.44 144.81 193.04 162.13 56.45 105.35 70.42 -13.19 -17.58 -14.82 -4.68 0.52 -2.80 -17.25 -17.15 -17.21
City of San Luis Obispo 46.54 55.14 49.00 125.95 145.21 132.14 58.62 80.07 64.75 -17.50 -9.09 -14.97 -0.76 -3.69 -1.45 -18.12 -12.44 -16.20
City of Morro Bay 38.31 54.54 42.95 101.23 124.78 109.77 38.78 68.06 47.14 -9.15 8.08 -3.57 -2.06 1.66 0.13 -11.03 9.87 -3.45
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
California 61.89 69.33 64.01
250.24 182.87 229.39
154.86 126.79 146.84
1.84 4.98 2.79
3.91 1.22 3.05
5.82 6.26 5.93
City of Paso Robles 39.42 66.80 47.24 128.74 194.92 155.48 50.75 130.21 73.45 -20.81 -3.94 -14.77 -7.66 -3.31 -3.85 -26.87 -7.13 -18.05
City of Pismo Beach 41.12 72.67 50.13 145.26 220.62 176.47 59.73 160.32 88.47 -5.29 -3.14 -4.41 -3.87 -0.45 -1.92 -8.95 -3.58 -6.25
City of San Luis Obispo 51.79 80.89 60.10 130.62 167.41 144.77 67.65 135.42 87.01 -2.30 5.67 0.62 -0.30 -9.61 -4.04 -2.59 -4.49 -3.45
City of Morro Bay 44.66 78.02 54.19 103.28 153.11 123.77 46.13 119.45 67.08 3.94 16.04 8.60 -0.57 2.50 1.97 3.34 18.94 10.73
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
California 62.24 66.15 63.36
178.86 178.85 178.86
111.33 118.31 113.32
3.00 1.73 2.62
3.06 0.76 2.36
6.15 2.50 5.04
City of Paso Robles 49.02 55.20 50.79 138.09 185.88 152.93 67.70 102.60 77.67 -1.20 0.42 -0.70 -0.49 0.23 -0.11 -1.68 -1.68 -0.82
City of Pismo Beach 54.20 65.40 57.40 160.11 202.24 173.82 86.77 132.27 99.77 5.19 -4.41 1.86 0.38 2.76 0.80 5.59 5.59 2.67
City of San Luis Obispo 66.16 71.82 67.78 137.96 156.42 143.55 91.28 112.34 97.30 6.79 -0.98 4.31 3.46 -12.79 -3.02 10.48 10.48 1.16
City of Morro Bay 51.66 65.53 55.62 111.45 139.90 121.03 57.58 91.68 67.32 8.73 4.53 7.28 2.95 1.30 2.08 11.94 11.94 9.51
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
California 63.00 68.19 64.48 186.57 184.68 186.00 117.54 125.93 119.94 -1.39 6.20 0.79 1.47 2.57 1.77 0.06 8.93 2.57
City of Paso Robles 44.99 60.37 49.38 130.34 175.89 146.25 58.64 106.18 72.22 -14.95 -8.56 -12.82 -9.57 -6.05 -7.72 -23.09 -14.10 -19.55
City of Pismo Beach 47.36 71.04 54.12 156.65 204.63 174.64 74.18 145.37 94.52 -2.36 7.06 0.98 -4.33 -5.12 -4.10 -6.58 1.59 -3.16
City of San Luis Obispo 64.58 79.64 68.88 138.47 186.08 154.20 89.42 148.19 106.21 -0.34 2.38 0.54 1.36 5.99 3.32 1.01 8.51 3.87
City of Morro Bay 42.89 61.04 48.08 104.97 129.19 113.76 45.02 78.86 54.69 -7.11 -1.17 -5.04 3.45 -0.44 2.17 -3.91 -1.61 -2.97
Occupancy (%) ADR RevPar
ADR RevPar Occupancy (%) ADR
Percent Change
Occupancy (%) ADR RevPar Occupancy (%) ADR RevPar
ADR
For the Week of January 25, 2026
to January 31, 2026
For the Week of January 18, 2026
to January 24, 2026
For the Week of January 11, 2026
to January 17, 2026
Current Week Totals
RevPar
For the Week of January 04, 2026
to January 10, 2026
RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%) ADR RevPar Occupancy (%) ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)
Page 9 of 44
Page 10 of 44
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
Change +/- to
previous FY
July 508,195$ 541,806$ 591,184$ 636,778$ 699,845$ 761,346$ 844,845$ 877,391$ 861,241$ 884,317$ 913,019$ 530,064$ 1,214,080$ 1,297,863$ 1,245,883$ 1,296,972$ 1,310,543$ 1.05%
August 511,564$ 542,194$ 574,395$ 623,655$ 674,244$ 732,271$ 774,501$ 765,232$ 728,932$ 775,513$ 826,465$ 623,523$ 992,620$ 1,057,478$ 1,037,434$ 1,118,215$ 1,174,918$ 5.07%
September 400,023$ 437,543$ 490,524$ 508,583$ 505,954$ 557,002$ 643,127$ 650,117$ 693,704$ 682,810$ 720,414$ 660,405$ 965,595$ 1,039,589$ 1,024,869$ 935,689$ 952,359$ 1.78%
October 414,870$ 442,586$ 437,805$ 469,977$ 509,435$ 594,032$ 642,221$ 628,049$ 601,208$ 650,101$ 711,393$ 632,733$ 889,485$ 993,400$ 986,681$ 921,418$ 1,083,066$ 17.54%
November 280,913$ 330,924$ 347,437$ 359,163$ 425,769$ 475,360$ 468,016$ 497,162$ 513,487$ 556,885$ 593,403$ 422,488$ 722,487$ 770,599$ 757,010$ 825,128$ 833,936$ 1.07%
December 246,684$ 274,417$ 314,784$ 319,451$ 355,315$ 391,132$ 429,600$ 434,836$ 473,701$ 488,296$ 488,757$ 236,391$ 638,253$ 628,735$ 628,260$ 637,018$ 672,617$ 5.59%*missing 3 properties
January 230,279$ 256,351$ 276,165$ 302,153$ 331,853$ 400,239$ 387,304$ 396,559$ 415,690$ 465,547$ 520,813$ 302,621$ 557,369$ 554,408$ 621,595$ 696,606$
February 273,373$ 302,246$ 323,359$ 344,160$ 366,980$ 431,510$ 466,915$ 439,735$ 503,451$ 524,327$ 596,021$ 426,144$ 716,045$ 735,450$ 687,480$ 745,586$
March 326,099$ 333,783$ 392,266$ 426,879$ 448,103$ 520,795$ 559,235$ 549,642$ 577,285$ 602,781$ 268,458$ 614,973$ 820,473$ 807,997$ 850,274$ 806,319$
April 423,158$ 451,133$ 475,913$ 486,850$ 564,617$ 610,894$ 609,439$ 708,724$ 641,919$ 741,364$ 69,184$ 742,477$ 1,068,408$ 1,056,663$ 1,025,966$ 1,034,160$
May 372,997$ 433,874$ 447,116$ 489,862$ 546,916$ 601,614$ 598,093$ 645,114$ 630,820$ 665,603$ 174,982$ 760,006$ 919,831$ 910,508$ 989,619$ 1,025,327$
June 490,326$ 512,543$ 578,234$ 610,948$ 630,729$ 727,028$ 731,038$ 765,362$ 796,899$ 835,727$ 409,945$ 973,975$ 1,100,000$ 1,160,330$ 1,201,226$ 1,317,578$
Total/Average 4,478,481$ 4,859,400$ 5,249,181$ 5,578,460$ 6,059,758$ 6,803,224$ 7,154,334$ 7,357,923$ 7,438,338$ 7,873,272$ 6,292,853$ 6,925,799$ 10,604,646$ 11,013,020$ 11,056,297$ 11,360,016$ 6,027,439$
2024-25 2025-26 Change +/-2024-25 2025-26 Change +/-2024-25 2025-26 Change +/-
July 83.3 81.5 -2.2%203.44$ 203.66$ 0.1%169.32$ 166.07$ -1.9%
August 77.0 78.4 1.8%194.96$ 195.11$ 0.1%150.17$ 152.98$ 1.9%
September 70.0 68.6 -2.0%184.04$ 186.68$ 1.4%128.89$ 128.14$ -0.6%
October 69.3 71.7 3.5%178.25$ $188.88 6.0%123.49$ $135.46 9.7%
November 66.7 64.9 -2.7%171.07$ $171.69 0.4%114.06$ $111.36 -2.4%
December 59.7 60.1 0.6%146.24$ $147.73 1.0%87.35$ 88.76$ 1.6%
January 62.4 144.12$ 89.99$
February 67.1 161.94$ 108.66$
March 65.8 161.67$ 106.36$
April 73.2 183.34$ 134.22$
May 70.0 181.88$ 127.38$
June 75.9 216.12$ 165.02$
Total/Average 70.03 177.26$ 125.41$ Updated: 02/06/2026
Occupancy (%) ADR RevPAR*Figures from Smith Travel
Research Report
TOT Comparison
Page 11 of 44
Page 12 of 44
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Public Relations
Contract
Report to the City of San
Luis Obispo – TBID & PCC
January 2026
Page 13 of 44
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Implementation and Proactive Work
Hosted food and cocktail writer Annie Brown in partnership with Petit Soleil/Good Lion Hospitality
Met with UK Chef & Food Influencer Ben Ebbrell in partnership w/ Visit SLO CAL
Continued working with the City and Noble Studios/Uniquely Driven on overall tourism marketing
campaign
2
Responsive Work & Partnerships
Partnerships
Reviewed February social media calendar for Central Coast Tourism Council
Met with SLOMA Strategic Planning Contractors to give tourism input on future planning
Met with SLO REP Strategic Planning Contractors to give tourism input on future planning
Met with Visit SLO CAL PR Team
Continued pitching SLO Restaurant Month with the City, Badger Branding and Verdin
Media Features
Proactive Work
BBC | 10 of the US's most sustainable small towns - and why they're worth the trip | UVPM: 143,003,553
As a result of hosting Natalie Zimmerman in October in partnership with Uniquely Driven
Visit California Visitors Guide (Digital & Print) | Living the SLO Life: San Luis Obispo is California’s Central
Coast Escape | UVPM: 780,486
As a result of hosting Chris Dong in August in partnership with Uniquely Driven
Print version will be polybagged in March with Travel + Leisure (circ: 971,624), Food & Wine (circ:
929,543) and Real Simple (circ: 1,683,025)
Arizona Foothills Magazine | Restaurant Weeks, and dining deals aplenty, will soon bloom across
California | UVPM: 27,652
As a result of hosting Christina Silvestri in November in partnership with Uniquely Driven
Mustang News | SLO Restaurant Month aims to boost local dining | UVPM: 27,278
As a result of proactive pitching
New Times | The Movie Experience opens the nation’s first Dolby Vision+Atmos theater | UVPM: 20,945
As a result of proactive pitching
Visit California | Where Love Meets Luxury | UVPM: 407,995
As a result of responsive pitching
Visit California | Get Your Kicks on California Retro Road Trips | UVPM: 407,995
As a result of responsive pitching
Travel & Tour World | San Luis Obispo Dedicates January 2026 to Local Dining With Month-Long
Restaurant Program | UVPM: 5,213,383
As a result of proactive pitching by Uniquely Driven
Travel + Leisure | I've Taken 20+ Road Trips in California—This Is the One I Keep Coming Back To for the
Best Food, Wine, and Scenic Views | UVPM: 11,640,000
As a result of proactive pitching by Visit SLO CAL
Page 14 of 44
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Media Features
Media Monitoring
JANUARY TOTALS:
Placements: 16
UVPM: 208,856,085
YEAR TO DATE TOTALS:
Placements: 120
UVPM: 3,553,212,062
3
PUBLICATION PLACEMENTS UVPM
SAN JOSE MERCURY
NEWS A perfect weekend along California’s Central Coast 2,501,206.00
THE INDEPENDENT 9 of America’s most unusual hotels, from the Clown
Motel to a stay in an aircraft hangar 33,920,287.00
WORLDATLAS 12 Perfect Destinations for a Long Weekend in California 7,844,897.00
ISLANDS California's 5 Best Stops Along Amtrak's Scenic Pacific
Surfliner Train Route 2,455,719.00
MONEY INC The 20 Best Romantic Getaways in California 409,016.00
EDHAT City Celebrates New Public Art at Roundabout in San
Luis Ranch 149,259.00
DECOR HINT 19 Dreamy California Itineraries That Will Make You Fall
In Love With The West Coast 46,414.00
Page 15 of 44
Page 16 of 44
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Guest Services
Contract
Report to the City of San
Luis Obispo
January 2026
Page 17 of 44
SLO Chamber of Commerce
VISITOR INTERACTION
Jan.
2025
Dec.
2025
Jan.
2026
Walk-Ins 4,088 11,588 3,023
Phone Calls 195 264 171
Email & Digital 797 1,331 1,048
2
CALLS TO 877-SLO-TOWN
Jan.
2025
Dec.
2025
Jan.
2026
Calls 44 16 33
HOTEL REFERRALS
Jan.
2025
Dec.
2025
Jan.
2026
Referrals 43 5 39
HOTEL AVAILABILITY TRACKER
Jan.
2025
Dec.
2025
Jan.
2026
Email 121 48 85
Phone Calls 97 6 124
INFORMATION REQUESTS
Jan.
2025
Dec.
2025
Jan.
2026
Fullfilled 47 0 0
EVENTS SHARED
Jan.
2026 YTD
VisitSLO.com 26 26
DEMOGRAPHIC SNAPSHOT
International Travelers
Asia 10%
Europe 23%
Middle East 0%
Australia/NZ 3%
UK 13%
North America 33%
Central America 0%
South America 13%
Africa 3%
Domestic Travelers
West Coast 21%
Southwest 10%
Midwest 40%
South 4%
East Coast 25%
California Travelers
Northern CA 29%
Central Coast 39%
Central Valley 8%
Desert 0%
Southern CA 24%
Page 18 of 44
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Other Highlights
3
SLO Restaurant Month
The Visitor Center helped support
the City of SLO’s Restaurant Month
by serving as a informational resouce
to guests looking to participate as
well as distibuting gift cards to the
weekly winners of the promotion’s
raffle.
This month the Visitor Center
Manager traveled to each of
our lodging partner ’s
properties to conncet with
staff and provide them with
informational maps and
guides for their guests.
Property Visits
Guest Quote of the Month
“We came to visit my daughter in San Diego and we decided to
make a girls trip to check out San Luis Obispo. It is such a beautiful
city and I think we’ll be back with the rest of the family.”
A mother and her daughters visiting from Massachusetts
escaping the winter storm.
Page 19 of 44
Page 20 of 44
SLO Marketing Activities Report
Key Performance Highlights
January 2026
At-a-Glance Highlights
● Total Website Sessions: 97,495 (+4% YoY)
● Top Traffic Source: Organic 27,560 (-7% YoY)
● Total Lodging Referrals: 4,062 (+49% YoY)
● Top Performing Ads:
○ Display | Retargeting | MidWeekend Capital (3.72% CVR)
○ Display | Outdoor | MidWeekend Capital (3.33% CVR)
○ Display | 65+ | SLO Life Coach (2.34% CVR)
● Earned Media (Public Relations): 452,414,617 Impressions/Circulation across 7
secured placements
YTD KPI Performance
Expected Pace through January: 58%
Page 21 of 44
Overall Performance Summary
Despite industry-wide organic traffic declines of 20%–40%, VisitSLO.com achieved a 4%
year-over-year increase in overall website traffic. Strong organic performance from
the restaurants week page and homepage helped offset overall organic traffic losses,
resulting in only a 7% decline in organic traffic, compared to the higher decreases we’ve
been seeing in recent months.
Paid Search campaigns also saw strong performance, resulting in a 70% increase in
lodging partner referrals year-over-year from Paid Search. This strong performance
helped secure a 49% increase in total lodging referrals year-over-year across the site.
A top landing page for both direct and organic traffic this month was Restaurant Month,
which contributed to the overall lift in direct traffic over last year. Direct traffic also saw
an 82% increase YoY in people landing on the homepage, suggesting a continued lift in
overall brand awareness.
Paid Media Snapshot
● Paid Search
○ Sessions: 6,664 (+77% YoY)
○ Impressions: 56,003 (+51% YoY)
○ Clicks: 6,563 (+69% YoY)
○ CTR: 11.72% (+12% YoY)
○ Lodging Referrals: 2,528 (+70% YoY)
○ Cost: $17,567 (+1% YoY)
● Paid Social
○ Sessions: 13,604 (-26% YoY)
○ Impressions: 2,260,193 (+17% YoY)
○ Clicks: 51,081 (+46% YoY)
○ CTR: 2.26% (+25% YoY)
○ Total Referrals: 36 (-56% YoY)
○ Engagement Rate: 18.8% (+32% YoY)
○ Cost: $16,911 (+2% YoY)
○ While engagement and CTR show strong growth, we are currently working with our Meta
representatives to reconcile a tracking discrepancy. We are also exploring campaign
optimizations to further enhance campaign performance and will provide a detailed
update as soon as it is available.
● Display, Demand Gen, & PMAX
○ Sessions: 8,389 (+46% YoY)
○ Impressions: 1,223,604 (-26% YoY)
○ Clicks: 8,484 (-32% YoY)
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○ CTR: 0.69% (-8% YoY)
○ Lodging Referrals: 211 (+50% YoY)
○ Cost: $5,817 (-2% YoY)
● Video
○ Sessions: 2,359 (+7% YoY)
○ Impressions: 176,192 (-41% YoY)
○ Clicks: 3,085 (-13% YoY)
○ CTR: 1.75% (+48% YoY)
○ Lodging Referrals: 13 (+550% YoY)
○ Cost: $2,231 (+12% YoY)
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Key Insight: Overall, paid media generated a 48% year-over-year increase in lodging
referrals. Hotel-focused Paid Search campaigns continued to drive the most lodging
referrals while maintaining steady YoY engagement rate. During December, we
optimized campaign configurations ahead of the January relaunch, allowing for more
granular insights into how different audiences respond to specific messaging.
Owned Media Snapshot
Email Marketing
We sent one email in January that spotlighted winter activities in SLO and the benefits of
off-season travel. Despite a slight YoY decrease in total sessions, we saw a 17% increase
in total partner referrals and a 4% increase in engagement rate. We saw a larger
percentage of clicks to the restaurants page compared to 23% of readers clicking on the
hero content about winter in SLO. There seems to be a strong attention to restaurants
among our newsletter subscribers, and could be worth highlighting new restaurants or
featuring restaurant deals more prominently in future emails. LA remained the top
traffic-driving city in our monthly email, showing strong engagement metrics and
driving 15% of total restaurant partner referrals.
4
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● Emails Sent: 1
● Avg. Open Rate: 13.3% (15.70% Benchmark)
● Avg. CTR: 1.6% (1.6% Benchmark)
● Total Sessions: 587 (-28% YoY)
● Total Partner Referrals: 117 (+17% YoY)
● Total Lodging Referrals: 40 (-9% YoY)
● Engagement Rate: 65% (+4% YoY)
● Average Engagement Time Per Session: 1m 6s (-7% YoY)
● Page Views Per Session: 2.42 (+10% YoY)
Website
● Total Sessions: 97495 (+4% YoY)
● Lodging Partner Referrals: 4,062 (+49% YoY)
● Avg. Pages/Session: 1.92 (+5% YoY)
● Average Session Duration: 2m 34s (-0.31% YoY)
● Top Lodging Referral Channels: Paid Search (62% of total lodging referrals),
Organic Search (21% of total lodging referrals), Cross-Network (5% total lodging
referrals)
SEO + Content
● Organic Search Sessions: 27,560 (-7% YoY)
● Organic Search Partner Referrals: 4,314 (-4% YoY)
● Organic Search Impressions: 1.74 Mil (+8% YoY)
● Organic Search Clicks: 19.6K (-10% YoY)
● Organic Search CTR: 1.1% (-21% YoY)
● Page 1 Keywords: 4.7K (+1% YoY)
● Sessions from LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc): 264 (+725% YoY)
● Partner Referrals from LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc): 70 (+3,400% YoY)
● Top Impression Gains: San Luis Obispo Weather, Hearst Castle, SLO weather, SLO
● Top Click Losses: things to do in San Luis Obispo, things to do in SLO, sunset drive
in
Key Takeaway: January saw a large increase (+43% YoY) to the /restaurantmonth
page, making it the most visited organic landing page on the site. The homepage also
saw a large increase in organic traffic (+45% YoY), helping to significantly reduce some
of the impacts we’ve been seeing from the changing search landscape. The largest
declines in organic clicks are coming from things to do queries. VisitSLO.com continues
to rank in position 1 for “things to do in San Luis Obispo”, but the search engine results
page (SERP) is now dominated by AI Overviews and new SERP features that surface
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activity ideas and third-party links, reducing traditional click-through opportunities,
resulting in a 54% decrease in clicks from that query.
Amid this rapidly shifting search landscape and broader changes in how users engage
with search and AI, organic traffic declined 7% YoY in January, which was significantly
lower than we’ve been seeing the last several months and lower than trends we’ve seen
across the Travel and Tourism industry.
We are continuing to monitor Visit SLO’s visibility within AI search results while pursuing
tactics that help to increase Visit SLO’s likelihood of being cited within AI results.
We are seeing Visit SLO used as a cited source in the AI Overviews with a highlighted link
to the website on the sidebar.
6
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We are seeing recovered growth in URLs referenced in AI Overviews on Google in
January
Keyword opportunities and rankings for AI Overviews are continuing to grow in January.
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Creative & Web Maintenance
Website Maintenance, Repair & Optimization (MRO)
● Plugin Updates
● Updated
● gravityforms: 2.9.24 → 2.9.26
● gravityformsmailchimp: 5.7.0 → 5.7.2
● pantheon-advanced-page-cache: 2.1.1 → 2.1.2
● permalink-manager-pro: 2.5.2.2 → 2.5.2.4
● redirection: 5.5.2 → 5.6.1
● the-events-calendar: 6.15.12.2 → 6.15.14
● tiny-compress-images: 3.6.5 → 3.6.7
● wp-crontrol: 1.19.3 → 1.20.0
● wps-hide-login: 1.9.17.2 → 1.9.18
● wordpress-seo: 26.5 → 26.8
● Manually Updated
● the-events-calendar-community-events: 5.0.12 → 5.0.13
● events-calendar-pro: 7.7.11 → 7.7.12
Site Updates
● Removed cruft from repo
● Security | Remove WordPress version from generated meta tags
● Security | Disable access to semi-sensitive files in Pantheon configuration
● Bug | Slider breaks under certain conditions with Stakeholder Location block
Website Services
● January Website Services Efforts:
○ 28.5h out of 120h were used for January 2026
■ Remaining hours: 8.75
○ ADA Color Updates, Stakeholder Redirect option, homepage and film fest
page updates, new visitor form page
Creative Services
● January Creative Services Efforts:
○ 2.75h out of 150 hours were utilized for January 2026
■ Remaining hours: 105.50
○ Removing Land of Photos from the site
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Earned Media Activity
Earned Media Highlights
Total Impressions/Circulation: 452,414,617
Placements: 7
Press Coverage
● 1/2/26: Arizona Foothills Magazine: Living the SLO Life: San Luis Obispo is
California’s Central Coast Escape (Christina Silvestri) (Reach: 27,652)
● 1/6/26: EIN Presswire: SLO Restaurant Month Returns to the City of San Luis Obispo
(Uniquely Driven) (Reach: 245,213)
● 1/7/26: Travel and Tour World: San Luis Obispo Dedicates January 2026 to Local
Dining With Month-Long Restaurant Program (Wire pickup) (Reach: 5,213,383)
● 1/15/26: Visit CA 2026 Visitor's Guide: SLO Vinyl Trail (Chris Dong) (Circulation:
2,069,492)
○ 1/15/26: Visit CA 2026 Visitor's Guide (online): SLO Vinyl Trail (Chris Dong)
(Reach: 780,486)
● 1/18/26: BBC Travel: 10 of the US's most sustainable small towns - and why they're
worth the trip (Natalie Zimmerman) (Reach: 143,003,553)
○ 1/18/26: BBC Travel UK: 10 of the US's most sustainable small towns - and
why they're worth the trip (Natalie Zimmerman) (Reach: 301,074,838)
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Page 30 of 44
January 2026
SLO TBID - SHARESLO
ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT
Date: 02/11/26Page 31 of 44
Followers: 42,514 ( .9%)
Total Net Growth: 359
Total Posts: 238
Total Views: 729,531 ( 209%)
Total stories: 220
Total Engagements: 6,009 ( .4%)
Engagement Rate: .8% ( 67.5%)
INSTAGRAM
In January, we saw a follower increase by 359 new followers! Our views increased greatly by about 200%, which explains the
decreased engagement rate (impression per engagement). Our top performing posts were featuring the Vanderpump Rules
spotlight and SLO Restaurant Month content.
TOP POSTS:
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Page Followers: 108,133 ( .3%)
Total Net Audience Growth: 297
Total Posts: 17
Total Impressions: 2,323,323 ( 993%)
Total Organic: 175,314 ( 27%)
Total Engagements: 3,082 ( 3.2%)
Engagement Rate: .1% ( 91%)
FACEBOOK
TOP POSTS:
In January, we saw an increase in followers by 297 new followers! Our impressions greatly increased by 993%. Our
engagements only decreased slightly, but this is why the engagements rate (impression per engagement) has decreased as
well. Top performing posts were food /bev content for SLO Restaurant Month and the Vanderpump Rules spotlight.
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Followers: 3,112 ( 1.2%)
Followers Gained: 37
Impressions: 17,187 ( 13%)
Engagement: 479 ( 26.5%)
Engagement Rate: 2.8% ( 15.5%)
In January, we saw an increase in followers by 37 new users! Our impressions, engagements, and engagement rate decreased
this month. Our top performing content was hub ‘n’ spoke content, trending content, and the Vanderpump Rules spotlight.
TIKTOK
TOP POSTS:
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Total Audience: 516 ( .6%)
Total Net Growth: 4
Total Posts: 4
Impressions: 308 ( 8.9%)
Engagements: 20 ( 0%)
Engagement Rate: 6.49% ( 9.74%)
LINKEDIN
In January, we saw a follower increase of four new users! Our impressions slightly decreased, our engagements stayed the
same, and our engagement rate increased.
TOP POSTS:
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Impressions: 6.38k ( 66%)
Engagements: 258 ( 57%)
Outbound Clicks: 3
Saves: 96 ( 50%)
Total Audience: 4.04k ( 70%)
Engaged Audience: 197 ( 48%)
In January, we saw great increases in analytics across the board. We will continue to mirror from IG to this platform.
PINTEREST
TOP POSTS:
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WHAT WE WORKED ON THIS MONTH:
-SLO Restaurant Month
- Launch Content (30k Views)
- Weekly Interview Reels w/ Adam Montiel (47.2k Views)
- Food / Bev Focused Content
- Highlights Maintained / Weekly Stories
- Successful Trend / Trending Content
- Vanderpump Rules Spotlight (53.6k Views)
- Collab Reels
- Accepted [8] : SLO Restaurant Month Interviews w/ Adam Montiel
(25.4k Views)
-Sent [13] (@ravawines, @adamontheair, etc.)
- 2 Ticket Tuesdays (Cal Poly Arts & Breda)
- SLO Life Coach & SLO Life Tip Reel & Stories
- Brunch in SLO Reel (42k Views)
- Events Highlight Updated Weekly / PR Placements Shared in Stories
- MidWeekend Vacation Capital of the World Page 37 of 44
FEBRUARY’S FOCUS:
- Valentine’s Day
- Galentine’s Day
- Ticket Tuesday Giveaway
- Children’s Museum, SLO Film Festival
- Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market Tips & Tricks
- Art After Dark Returns
- Trending Content
- SLO Life Tip Reel / Stories in Highlight
- Upcoming Events in SLO
- Hub ‘n’ Spoke Reel : Big Sur
- SLO Sunsets in Beers Carousel
- Pizza in SLO Reel
Page 38 of 44
THANK YOU!
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1
Promotional Coordinating Committee Minutes
January 14, 2026, 5:30 p.m.
Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
PCC Members
Present:
Committee Member Maureen Forsberg, Committee Member
Dan Fredman, Committee Member Dante Specchierla,
Committee Member Anni Wang, Committee Member Samantha
Welch, Vice Chair Robin Wolf, Chair John Thomas
City Staff Present: Laura Fiedler, Economic Development & Tourism Manager
_____________________________________________________________________
1. CALL TO ORDER
A Regular Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Promotional Coordinating Committee
was called to order on January 14, 2026 , at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Hearing
Room at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, by Chair Thomas.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
Public Comment:
Garret Olson introduced himself as the new CEO of the San Luis Obispo
Chamber of Commerce.
--End of Public Comment--
3. CONSENT
Motion By Committee Member Specchierla
Second By Committee Member Welch
To approve Consent Items 3a to 3f.
Ayes (7): Committee Member Specchierla, Committee Member Welch,
Committee Member Forsberg, Committee Member Fredman, Committee
Member Wang, Vice Chair Wolf, Chair Thomas
CARRIED (7-0)
3.a MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING ON NOVEMBER 12, 2025 AND
THE SPECIAL MEETING ON NOVEMBER 17, 2025
3.b 2025-26 COMMUNITY PROMOTION BUDGET REPORT
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2
3.c SLO CHAMBER MONTHLY PUBLIC RELATIONS REPORT
3.d SLO CHAMBER GUEST SERVICES REPORT
3.e SLO CHAMBER GRANT SUPPORT REPORT
3.f TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORT
4. PRESENTATIONS
4.a PUBLIC RELATIONS, GRANT SUPPORT, AND GUEST SERVICES
QUARTERLY REPORT (20 MINUTES)
Hollie West and Brianna Harris from the SLO Chamber of Commerce
presented the Q2 report for the Public Relations, CACP Support and
Guest Services activities.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment—
Action: No action was taken on this item.
4.b SLO RESTAURANT MONTH UPDATE (10 MINUTES)
Economic Development & Tourism Manager Laura Fiedler presented the
SLO Restaurant Month update.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment—
Action: No action was taken on this item.
5. BUSINESS ITEMS
5.a LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION PROPOSAL (15 MINUTES)
Matt Pennon, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Manager and Samantha
Vethavanam, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Admin Specialist presented the
Lunar New Year Celebration Proposal and responded to inquiries.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Page 42 of 44
3
Motion By Committee Member Forsberg
Second By Committee Member Welch
To approve expenditures up to $19,500 for the Lunar New Year
celebration as presented, including for installation of the stage, lighting,
and decorations, professional entertainment fees, printing of street
banners, purchase of decorations, and paid media/advertising.
Ayes (7): Committee Member Forsberg, Committee Member Welch,
Committee Member Fredman, Committee Member Specchierla,
Committee Member Wang, Vice Chair Wolf, Chair Thomas
CARRIED (7-0)
5.b CULTURAL ARTS & COMMUNITY PROMOTIONS GRANT PROGRAM
(20 MINUTES)
Economic Development & Tourism Manager Laura Fiedler presented the
Cultural Arts & Community Promotions Grant Program and responded to
inquiries.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Motion By Vice Chair Wolf
Second By Member Specchierla
To approve the proposed modifications and grant program timeline as
presented.
Ayes (7): Vice Chair Wolf, Committee Member Specchierla, Committee
Member Welch, Committee Member Forsberg, Committee Member
Fredman, Committee Member Wang, Chair Thomas
CARRIED (7-0)
6. PCC LIAISON REPORTS AND COMMUNICATION
6.a CACP LIAISON REPORT – Liaison Assignments
No CACP Liaison report updates.
6.b COMMITTEE OUTREACH UPDATE – Committee Report
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4
Chair John Thomas provided brief information regarding the Community
Academy.
6.c TBID BOARD REPORT – TBID Meeting Minutes: November 12, 2025
Committee Member Specchierla provided an update on items the TBID
has been working on.
6.d TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE – Staff Report
Economic Development & Tourism Manager Laura Fiedler provided the
Tourism Program Update.
7. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:31 p.m. The next Regular Meeting of the
Promotional Coordinating Committee is scheduled for February 11, 2026, at 5:30
p.m. in the Council Hearing Room at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis
Obispo.
_________________________
APPROVED BY PROMOTIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE: XX/XX/202X
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