Amazon’s RTO policy gives rise to record foot traffic
Amazon’s five-day return-to-office mandate has significantly increased foot traffic in downtown Seattle, helping the city inch closer to pre-pandemic norms.
In January, downtown recorded the second-highest weekday worker foot traffic average since March 2020, with 2 million unique visitors – 94% of January 2019 levels – according to data from the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA).
Amazon required employees to return full-time starting Jan. 2, replacing its previous three-day mandate. The company cited collaboration and innovation as key reasons, though some employees pushed back, citing productivity concerns and the lack of supporting data.
Despite the debate, foot traffic averages confirm that Amazon workers are headed back to the city. In South Lake Union and Denny Triangle, home to Amazon’s headquarters, weekday foot traffic averaged 46,000 workers in January – up 20% from the previous year. Across the rest of downtown, work foot traffic increased 9% year over year, reaching 57% of January 2019 levels.
The tech giant, which employs around 50,000 workers in Seattle, 14,000 in Bellevue and 2,000 in Redmond, has long played a pivotal role in the city’s economic activity. John Scholes, president of the DSA, expects the increase in foot traffic to continue as more companies follow Amazon’s lead and seasonal trends drive people downtown.
Historically, January and February are slow months due to weather, but by March, Scholes predicts downtown foot traffic could hit 60% of 2019 levels, rising to two-thirds of pre-pandemic norms by summer. Long-term, factors like Seattle’s waterfront renovation, expanded public transit and the 2026 World Cup are expected to further boost activity.
As Seattle’s largest employer, Amazon’s return-to-office policy has brought more people into downtown businesses. Since the mandate took effect, the year-over-year demand for hotel rooms has jumped 5%, with 241,000 hotel room sales in January – 85% of January 2019 levels. The number of occupied downtown apartments has also risen by 4%.
This post was based on information found on The Seattle Times.
