TAMPA -- Tampa's Super Bowl may have been a better weekend for hotel operators than they thought.
Hotels complained that Super Bowl 55 in Tampa, held in the middle of a COVID pandemic, with the Buccaneers playing at home, wasn't filling their rooms. Now the numbers are in... Visit Tampa Bay, the Tampa tourism promotion agency, says occupancy rates hit 92 percent on Super Bowl weekend... compared to just under 85 percent in 2009, the last time Tampa hosted a Super Bowl. Hotel revenue was 166 percent higher than the same time last year.
The survey also found that Orlando and Tampa - St. Petersburg were among the top markets hotel guests came from, indicating locals and nearby residents decided to grab a room to soak up atmosphere. Kansas City, home of the visiting Chiefs, New York, Dallas and Atlanta also ranked on the list.
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