Accommodation prices soar as hotels, homes cash in on Super Bowl

NEW YORK – Nightly rates at a no-frills budget hotel in West Orange, New Jersey average about $100 (R1 300) for a queen room outfitted with a coffee maker and basic cable television.

But for several days in early February, the same Best Western will be charging 10 times that amount, asking guests attending the Super Bowl XLVIII in the nearby town of East Rutherford to shell out $1 000 (R10 300) for a room.

“It’s a lot of money,” hotel manager Brian Cassara concedes, adding that he hopes sports fans “will pay these exorbitant prices to come to the game”.

The National Football League estimates that about 400 000 people will descend on northern New Jersey for the February 2 championship game at MetLife Stadium, about 16km from New York City.

The event is expected to bring in more than a half billion dollars in economic activity to the New York-New Jersey area.

That vision has put dollar signs in the eyes of hotel operators, homeowners and apartment dwellers in the region’s already pricey real estate market, with some of the advertised lodgings seen as the most expensive ever for a Super Bowl, observers say.

To attract high-end guests, some homeowners are throwing in incentives like chauffeurs, stocked bars, and gift certificates for dinner or a massage.

Historically, hotels in Super Bowl host cities see a significant uptick in prices as well as bookings for the week of the annual sporting event and, anticipating demand, they often raise prices months in advance.

Hundreds of homeowners and apartment dwellers have listed their abodes on websites, charging up to $10 000 (more than R100 000) a night for a sprawling mansion or $750 (almost R4 000) a night for a tiny studio.

Garrett Larson, owner of a two-bedroom town home in Montclair, New Jersey, says renting his residence for several days during Super Bowl will mean “paying bills and paying off debt”.

His Craigslist posting asks $8 000 (almost R83 000) for six nights for lodgings “15 minutes to stadium”.

He hasn’t had any takers yet, but remains hopeful.

New York City, with some 90 000 hotel rooms, is also trying to capture its share of Super Bowl guests, boasting the city’s tourist attractions and access to public transportation.

Establishments are keeping prices high in anticipation of a surge of bookings after the competing teams are decided and the NFL releases the last major wave of game tickets for sale.