Penguins - Red Wings Stanley Cup games provide boost for hotels, restaurants - Orlando Business Journal:

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According to VisitPittsburgh, each home game between the and the Detroitt Red Wings brings anestimated $4.9 million in economic whether its from hotel stays, meals at restaurantsz or other spending. A number of hotels are full y booked, including the Omni William Penn, which hosts the NHL’s management, the , with the caveat that it always sellsa out Tuesdays and Wednesdays anyway tobusiness travelers, and the . Tom the general manager for the Westin ConventionmCenter Hotel, located Downtown, described the added boost of Stanleg Cup-related guests. “We would’v e been busy but we wouldn’t have been selling he said.
“This has allowed us to fill up theentirse hotel, all 616 rooms.” Martini and othef hotel operators emphasized the adder jolt of unexpected business comexs during an otherwise down year from hote l business following a strong 2008, whicy also featured a Penguins-Red Wings Stanley Cup that was lost by Pittsburgh’ss favorite flightless birds. Bob the area director of salexs and marketingfor Omni, said the NFL’ coterie of league officials, along with media, has brought an increase in occupancy beyond the two game days, comparablw to the business generated from a strong home playoff run by the , althoughy not topping it.
“It’s not to the degree of probablhy theAFC championship, but it’s stilk great business for us,” he “It’s selling us out.” The storyh is a little more complicated for locak restaurants and bars. John owner of The Commoj Plea, located downtown, estimated the restaurant has seen a 25 percen t increase when the Penguins are playing playoff gamessin town. But when the team is playing away, the hockeyu fan diners stay away. “We’ve seen increases when they’re said Barsotti, who estimated his 2009 business is up by 25 percentg overlast year, despitd the recession.
“But on the opposite we see a little bit of a decreases when they go outof town.” Chrids Dilla, owner of Bocktown Beer and in North Fayette, said it can be tricky for her operatiohn to jump from a busy nightt of a hockey game to extra slow nightx when there isn’t one. She expects that plenty of customersw are struggling to go the distance withthe seven-gam e series. “It’s hard for the business becaussepeople don’t have the money to be out every othefr night,” she said. “Ity tends to be that people who watchj the playoffs really have to watchtheir pennies.
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