Hotels, Lehigh Valley International Airport believes Patriots loss will push demand for flights, accommodations further west of MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Football fans lamenting shrunken Giants, grounded Jets and the clipped wings of Eagles have found themselves quietly chanting something that may seem out of place in the Lehigh Valley and northwest New Jersey.
“Go Broncos.”
The Denver Broncos play the New England Patriots today in the AFC Championship game, and the winning team will head to East Rutherford, N.J., fewer than 50 miles from the border of Hunterdon County, to play in the first Super Bowl ever hosted in the Garden State.
Those chanting don’t necessarily have anything against the Patriots. They’re business owners and community leaders looking for Super Bowl tourism dollars to flow as far west of East Rutherford as possible. For them, it’s a matter of geography, and the better team is measured by miles, not passing yards.
A Broncos win, they say, could push the demand for lodging, air travel and other accommodations far enough west to give their businesses a boost. Given the distance between Denver and East Rutherford, many of the team’s fans will have no choice but to fly, stay at least one night for the game and spend money on dining and entertainment outside MetLife Stadium.
A Patriots win, on the other hand, isn’t as promising. New England-based fans attending the big game can conceivably take the trip by road and either travel home afterward or shack up for the night somewhere en route to home, to the north of East Rutherford and farther away from the Lehigh Valley and northwest New Jersey.
As for the NFC Championship, also today, such a scenario is not an issue. The Seattle Seahawks play the San Francisco 49ers. No matter which team wins, those in its local fan base have a long way to go if they want to be theren to see their team play on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 2.
“It really depends on the teams,” says Donna Arold, owner of the Main Street Manor Bed & Breakfast in Flemington. “If it’s West Coast (teams), we’ll likely get some calls. If it’s East Coast, I think people will drive.”
Business impact remains uncertain
Arold expects to have a clearer idea of the business impact after today's games are settled. The inn has set aside rooms for those attending the Super Bowl and will plan events around the game if ticket-holders choose to stay there, she says.
Further west in the Lehigh Valley, expectations aren't as high, at least on the lodging front. Discover Lehigh Valley President Mike Stershic says the region doesn’t anticipate huge numbers of direct Super Bowl visitors but it could still get a slight bump in other visitors.
Stershic, whose organization promotes tourism in the Lehigh Valley, says the mode of transportation for most attending the game will factor into business.
"Industry analysts are projecting that this will be one of the most 'driven-to' Super Bowls because of its location and the nearby location of corporate sponsors," he says. "That could reduce demand for overnight accommodations."
He says the slight bump to the Valley will be mostly from "regular visitors" to the New York metro area being either priced or crowded out by sports fans huddling closer to the game.
Hotel rates the weekend of the Super Bowl have been exorbitant at locations near MetLife Stadium. An analysis done by cheaphotels.org in November showed rates being jacked up as much as 857 percent during Super Bowl weekend. The site says in a news release that the Howard Johnson Inn in Clifton, N.J., for example, was charging $900 a night for a booking that weekend instead of its regular rate of $94.
Airport hopes to reap benefits
In contrast, a room at the Best Western Lehigh Valley Hotel and Conference Center in Hanover Township, Northampton County, was going for $74 the night of the Super Bowl as of Thursday on hotels.com.
If the Lehigh Valley International Airport had its way, there would be plenty of Super Bowl ticket-holders who would have good reason to stay at that Best Western or other hotels near the airport.
LVIA is jockeying to pick up air traffic associated with the Super Bowl. LVIA Executive Director Charles Everett says between 600 and 1,200 private aircraft could fly in for the Super Bowl.
There are small airports in New Jersey accepting these general aviation flights closer to the game, like in Teterboro, a small borough only a few miles from the stadium. But Everett says many require reservations and are beefing up fees to take advantage of the traffic increase.
"We believe we provide a convenient alternative," he says.
The airport has submitted plans to the Federal Aviation Administration to park up to 100 general aviation aircraft, and has been advertising its location -- about 75 miles from the big game.
Everett's also seeing a better opportunity with a Denver win over New England today.
"The Boston and New England region is arguably within driving distance," he says. "Since the New York airspace is projected to be congested, some may decide to seek travel options other than air."
For some, the teams don't matter
Although a Patriots win may not be optimal for business in the region, there are still some who are optimistic they'll reap the benefits of a nearby Super Bowl regardless of the teams playing.
Hope Township Mayor Tim McDonough, who serves on the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee, says the location of the game has inspired New Jersey businesses and communities to do more than they'd usually do for Super Bowl weekend.
In his town, events and promotions are planned starting the week before the game. The Inn at Millrace Pond, for example, is hosting a party dubbed "Tailgate at the Tavern" from 6 to 10 p.m. Feb. 1. The event will feature former Phillipsburg football standout Ned Bolcar, who went on to play for Notre Dame and in the NFL. Also booked to attend is Bo Orlando, also a former NFL player who has Lehigh Valley ties.
The event is one of three the inn is hosting in conjunction with the Super Bowl.
"Listen, New York is New York," McDonough says. "It gets its fair share of these events and visitors. The games are being played in New Jersey. The teams are staying in New Jersey. … You'll see these events being held in other municipalities and cities (around the state). … They've taken the ball and they're running with it."
Arold, of the Main Street Manor Bed & Breakfast, shares that sentiment. She says even if Super Bowl ticket-holders don’t stay at her establishment, there's business to be had. She notes that she received a call last week from a woman who wanted to stay with friends for a girls' trip during Super Bowl weekend because their husbands will be immersed in football.
"I don't know if our demographic is a Super Bowl fan, but maybe there's a guy out there who wants to go to the game and his wife says, 'No way … not unless we stay here,'" Arold says.
News editor Steve Novak contributed to this report.