Baton Rouge gears up for Super Bowl spillover

With the NFL blocking 98% of hotel rooms in New Orleans for the Super Bowl, according to the Greater New Orleans Hotel & Lodging Association, Baton Rouge officials expect a spillover of fans into the Capital Region for the Feb. 3 game between San Francisco and Baltimore. “I’ve picked up 12 rooms” booked between Feb. 1 and Feb. 3, says Gary Jupiter, president of the Baton Rouge Lodging Association and general manager of Springhill Suites. “Which doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s 36 room-nights, in a sense.” Also, third-party reservations available on websites such as Expedia are already sold out in Baton Rouge, Jupiter says. However, he notes third-party reservations account for only three to four rooms at his hotel. On Tuesday, Visit Baton Rouge released its Super Bowl lineup of bands playing and Mardi Gras parades rolling Friday and Saturday in North Boulevard Town Square and elsewhere downtown. Visit Baton Rouge President and CEO Paul Arrigo says about $40,000 have been spent on the Town Square entertainment, as well as advertising in the San Francisco and Baltimore markets. “I think it will give those who stay in Baton Rouge something else they can enjoy,” Arrigo says. The New Orleans Hotel & Lodging Association says it expects 150,000 fans to visit the city, while Superdome attendance is about half that. The lodging association reported a year ago that there are 36,600 rooms in New Orleans. Jupiter says there are about 10,000 in the Capital Region. —Adam Pearson