The BCS national championship game is bringing into Baton Rouge not only spillover hotel traffic from New Orleans but also bookings from local residents, hospitality officials say.
Renaissance Hotel offered a package that included an overnight stay and transportation to and from the game for $450. General Manager Peter Dunn says the promotion, which is no longer available, led to “a nice spike in business.”
Dunn declined to discuss specific numbers but says, “It’s unusual in January to see that kind of volume on a Monday night.” Dunn says the package appealed to “people who didn’t want to stay in New Orleans and fight the hassles and hazards of driving home, especially after a game.”
Another bus option is Traveling Tigers, which is handled by the LSU Alumni Association. Stacey Messina, director of marketing at the association’s Cook Hotel, says that package attracted 575 people. However, she says, the hotel itself hasn’t seen a significant uptick in guests, “which surprised us.”
Had there been more guests going to the game, she says, the hotel would have considered running its own bus to New Orleans.
“But we did not have enough interest,” she says.
Traffic at downtown hotels is difficult to track at this point, says Visit Baton Rouge President and CEO Paul Arrigo. Nevertheless, he says, “I think we’ll see we gained.”
Arrigo points to the 2007 championship game in New Orleans, when “we had a little bit of a bump. Of course, we had fewer hotels downtown then.”
He says Visit Baton Rouge targeted eastbound travelers to the BCS game, reasoning that Alabama fans favored the Biloxi area. The agency framed its message for those who didn’t want to commit to extended stays, and those also interested in Gov. Bobby Jindal’s inauguration.
“We’ll be happy if we picked up 100 rooms,” Arrigo says.
Both Dunn and Arrigo say interest has been sufficient enough to warrant promotions for other sporting events. Arrigo says Visit Baton Rouge has appealed to visitors from Detroit for the playoff game against the Saints, and Dunn says the Renaissance could potentially offer a package for the NCAA Final Four in the spring.
