NYC hotels see tepid demand for Super Bowl lodging

From left: Hotel Chandler at 12 East 31st Street and MetLife Stadium
From left: Hotel Chandler at 12 East 31st Street and MetLife Stadium

Hoteliers in New York City were expecting a gold rush from the Super Bowl, which will be held in February at MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. But so far, the demand for rooms has fallen well short of expectations.

Occupancy levels for the days before Super Bowl Sunday are about 27 percent currently, an increase from 13 percent for the same period last year, according to data from hotel reservation tracker TravelClick. But hotel managers were hoping for an occupancy rate of around 50 percent by now.

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“It hasn’t been living up to the hype,” Kate Martin, general manager of the 148-room Hotel Chandler in Midtown, told the Wall Street Journal. Hotel Chandler has slashed its rates by 20 percent during the last week of January leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, Martin added.

In comparison to other cities that have hosted the Super Bowl, the demand has indeed been lukewarm, according to the Journal. Last year’s host, Indianapolis, saw bookings for that week jump sevenfold, TravelClick data show. And New Orleans, which hosted this year’s game, saw occupancy jump to 96 percent. [WSJ]  – Hiten Samtani