Visitor "Favorite Places" Ranked by Chamber’s New Artificial Intelligence Software

3 days ago4 min read

*The Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau is a non-profit organization focused on connecting the community with resources, their office in the Civic Center is open to the public.*

“Top 5 Lists” have been identified by AI for the following categories: Del Rio Visitor’s Most Frequented Hotel Chains, Dine-In Franchises, Fast Food Restaurants, and Car Dealerships. Rankings were provided by the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce and generated by Placer.ai artificial intelligence (AI) software. The Chamber acquired Placer.ai one year ago in the spring of 2024. Placer.ai has been “learning” about Del Rio and its visitors ever since. On 02/25/25, the Chamber presented AI-generated socio-economic reports at the City Council meeting. Connect Del Rio followed up with the Chamber to share a few additional “favorite places” lists with the public.

Bethany Gonzalez, Chamber Membership Outreach and Community Liaison, provided a transparent look into the data. She cautioned, “it’s not 100% yet, the AI is still learning the town.” Not every business is represented. She explained that the AI needs additional time to learn about Del Rio, “we have to do a lot of work with Placer.ai still to update addresses, correct names, and identify places.” Not everything is being captured by AI yet, especially small businesses. As the Chamber continues to input data and manual geofences, report accuracy will exponentially increase.

Bethany called Placer.ai “a tool that tracks tourists as they travel to and from Del Rio.” The AI identifies socio-economic data such as “visitor journeys and favorite places” that the Chamber will share with members, the city, and stakeholders. Bethany believes the AI helps them see the city’s “met and unmet demands” and predict consumer behavior so they can “better plan to support visitors.”

*Bethany Gonzalez, Chamber Membership Outreach and Community Liaison, adjusted parameters within the AI tool to generate instantaneous reports about Del Rio Visitor Journeys*

Real numbers are higher than reported numbers. The AI collects data from cellular towers and credit card swipes; it is far from a complete census. For example, data from international zip codes, minors under 18 years of age, Del Rio residents, phones without location permission, and devices with certain government security clearances are excluded from the data count. Small mom-and-pop businesses are mostly excluded from the AI reports right now. Bethany commented, “boutiques downtown aren’t being picked up.”

Consider the AI data as a sample, not a proof. The chamber is more interested in trends than specific values. Important facts can be still drawn from the preliminary-stage rough data. By analyzing visitor trends, the Chamber can measure growth or decline in business performance. Bethany identified a “peak in this area in March and then July, June through July… and then also September.”

*AI-generated Domestic Travel & Tourism Report shows a 6.1% YoY increase in Visitor Overnight Trips to Del Rio.*

Del Rio Visitor Favorite: Large Hotel Chain

1. Ramada Inn

2. Best Western

3. Holiday Inn Express

4. Days Inn

5. La Quinta Inns & Suites

Del Rio Visitor Favorite: Fast Food Restaurant Chain

1. McDonald's

2. Chick-fil-A

3. Whataburger

4. SONIC Drive In

5. Wendy’s

Del Rio Visitor Favorite: Dine-In Restaurant Franchise

1. Texas Roadhouse

2. Rudy’s Country Store & Bar-B-Q

3. Golden Chick

4. Chili’s Grill & Bar

5. Sirloin Stockade

Del Rio Visitor Favorite: Large Car Dealership

1. Toyota

2. Hyundai Motor

3. Ford Motor Company

4. Nissan

5. n/a

Bethany navigated through the software with control. She demonstrated where and how totals are calculated for visitor information. Total “overnight trips” are the annual headcount of visitors who came to Del Rio and stayed overnight. “Visit nights” are measured by the total annual number of nights those cumulative visitors stayed in town. “Total visitors spend” is total recorded credit card sales generated by visitors within captured businesses.

The AI knows where visitors come from, where they go, how long they stay, how much money they spend, and why they are here. The AI knows which city generates the most visitors for Del Rio. It ranked origin sites by regions according to total overnight trips, defined as “visits to the city lasting more than 8 hours.” The below referenced Domestic Travel & Tourism Report provides a 12-month summary from 02/2024 to 02/2025.

Visitors Origins Ranking:

1. San Antonio-New Braunfels

2. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

3. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown

4. Houston-The Woodlands

5. San Angelo

Domestic Travel & Tourism Report:

210,900 Overnight Trips
513,700 Visit Nights
$111.0M Total Visitors Spend

The AI also tracks city-wide events. One of Bethany’s goals is to “identify 5 events to track and make them better so that visitors are encouraged to spend the night.” Visitor Favorite Places vary event to event. Bethany said, “favorite places and visitor journeys are important to event organizers to plan partnerships and sponsorships.”

Only 4 car dealerships were recognized by the AI software, and many other major chains were not captured. Rankings do not represent confirmed customers or “heads in beds,” they simply show that visitors entered the building. If your business or category was not included above, and you would like to be added to the AI database, contact the Chamber directly. You can submit your business information to help improve the tool’s functionality.