Even before the official word came down on Wednesday afternoon that Saturday’s LSU-South Carolina football game was being moved to Baton Rouge, Tiger fans had been calling the DoubleTree Hotel on Constitution Avenue to book rooms in anticipation of a potential extra game in Tiger Stadium this season.
“We started seeing some action as early as Tuesday,” says the hotel’s general manager, Gary Jupiter. “And by the time they actually made the announcement [on Wednesday], we were pretty much stacked. We really didn’t have many rooms left to book.”
This weekend was already going to be a favorable one for local hotels, says Baton Rouge Lodging Association President Ralph Ney. That’s because the 2015 OLOL Children’s Hospital United Cup youth soccer tournament is also this weekend, drawing in approximately 200 teams from the southeast with thousands of players, parents and fans.
“The soccer tournament was filling up several hotels already, so this weekend was actually kind of busy anyway,” says Ney, who is also general manager of the Baton Rouge Marriott. “The city wasn’t sold out for the weekend like it would have been if there were a football game already scheduled, but with this game being moved here it will certainly push the city close to a complete sell out for Friday and Saturday.”
Of the rooms that were available at the Marriott prior to Wednesday’s announcement, a little more than half of them have already been booked, Ney says. “And ticket sales [for Saturday’s game] start later today, so we may see the rest of those rooms sold before today is over,” he adds.
Additional staffing likely won’t be necessary at the Marriott this weekend because of the already relatively strong bookings prior to the game being moved here, he adds. A quick check of local hotel availability through online booking sites shows most have limited rooms available and some are entirely booked for the weekend.
“It’s a good thing, obviously, for us. We get an extra game, which we all enjoy, but we’re sorry that it’s happening under these circumstances, because we know what that’s all about,” says Jupiter, referring to the devastating flooding in South Carolina that forced the game’s move to Baton Rouge.
Kickoff for Saturday’s game is 2:30 p.m. As Daily Report reported on Wednesday, the location change has caused several events previously scheduled on the LSU campus to be moved or rescheduled.
—Steve Sanoski
