by David Chapman
Staff Writer
When college and football schedules were announced earlier this year, pigskin fans weren’t the only ones circling weekends on their calendars.
Many area hotel executives were probably doing the same.
“Football weekends are great for us,” said Wendy Priesand, director of sales and marketing for the Omni. “This upcoming season there are a lot of attractive games and we’ve already seen results.”
Priesand wasn’t the only one excited and optimistic about the slate of upcoming games.
Hyatt General Manager Dan King and Crowne Plaza Director of Sales and Marketing Janice Dailey are also seeing the football financial opportunities.
“We always anxiously wait for the schedules to come out,” said King. “Football season is always a huge win for Jacksonville business and the hospitality industry.”
The annual Florida-Georgia game is always a sellout on the field and in the hotels, and with the anticipation of both teams arriving in Jacksonville Nov. 1 with stacked teams means this year should be no different.
Priesand said that only 60 rooms remain at the Omni for that weekend. King said the push for rooms came much earlier this year and the Hyatt is close to sold out, while Dailey noted that 80 percent of Crowne Plaza reservations for that weekend are made while fans are in town to attend the game — the prior year.
The other college showdown between Florida State and Colorado on Sept. 27 has exceeded expectations in its own way, each said.
“We felt with the distance and cost of travel it might hinder the number of out of town fans coming in for that game,” said Dailey. “But that’s not the case based on our numbers.”
King wasn’t sure if Colorado’s fans would come close to Alabama’s in terms of room sales when the Seminoles and Crimson Tide played in Jacksonville last year, but he’s found that Colorado “has been just as strong.”
College football isn’t the only game bringing business, though.
An attractive Jaguars home schedule featuring a few historically rabid and well-traveling opponent fan bases have added a steady stream of room nights.
“Pittsburgh (Steelers), Green Bay (Packers) and Indianapolis (Colts) fans always travel extremely well,” said Priesand. “I don’t expect this year to be any different.”
King is a fan of Sunday night and Monday games at the pro level, which means fans tend to arrive earlier and stay longer.
Fans and alumni aren’t the only ones in town for the events, though.
For each game, often dozens of rooms are booked for the various media and support crews that have to cover and produce the game, too.
Prieseand said the Omni has around 150 room nights already in place for various media members and crews from ESPN and CBS. More could be needed depending on the buzz surrounding a particular game. The more high profile the game, the more crew, and thus, rooms are needed.
Regardless of who is occupying each room, each claims the biggest winner is the local economy.
“I think one of the biggest benefits of housing a football fan is that they are in our city to relax and have a great time,” said Priesand. “They utilize our restaurants and bars providing additional revenue streams needed to achieve overall success within a hotel.”
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