As host city for the 112th Grey Cup, Winnipeg attracted thousands of football fans from across the country for an event-filled weekend, in addition to Sunday’s big game.
All of those visitors needed somewhere to stay while they were in town, and the head of the Manitoba Hotel Association says the Grey Cup experience, for local hoteliers, was even better than expected.
“We were forecasting just over 5,000 rooms used at the peak of the Grey Cup, and we certainly hit it — and hit it out of the park — in the past week,” Michael Juce told Global Winnipeg.
While the final numbers aren’t in yet, Juce said the association believes that more than half of Winnipeg’s hotel rooms were booked by CFL fans.
Juce said the fact that the Saskatchewan Roughriders were in the championship game likely increased the number of fans willing to make the trek to Manitoba, as the Riders are the next closest team, geographically, to Winnipeg.
“I think obviously having Saskatchewan here as well certainly helped,” Juce said.
“We even heard from one member who had hotels in Brandon, thinking that they might even get some spin-off, of people making the trip back and forth from Regina and staying in Brandon.”
Between the Grey Cup and a flurry of rooms booked at local hotels for a recent medical conference, Winnipeg hotels are in a pretty good spot less than three weeks into November, he said.
“It’s usually a decent month for hotels — we’ll still have some conferences and events and business traffic and things like that. This is sort of the cherry on top, and will help give hotels a really strong month of November.”
Get daily National news
Juce said the Grey Cup likely gave a boost to other parts of the service sector as well, including restaurants, retail stores and entertainment venues.
“(Events like the Grey Cup) are a tremendous driver not just for hotels but for the broader community too,” he said.
“A lot of the data and research shows that about 25 to 35 per cent of visitor spending is on the accommodation, and the rest goes to restaurants, retail, other events, transportation.
“Not only does it benefit hotels but it benefits a variety of businesses because (visitors) typically spend much more outside of the hotel than they do on just their accommodations.”
Shaun Jeffrey, executive director of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association, told 680 CJOB’s The Jim Toth Show that he was impressed by the entire Grey Cup party Winnipeg threw — and has received positive feedback from the association’s memebrs as well.
“As a football fan, the week was amazing. (It was) really nice to see people from coast to coast come in to our great city and see the amazing things here in Winnipeg and Manitoba,” he said.
“It was really good, and some generally positive messaging from the industry about people coming in.
“Obviously, a lot of people (were) driving in from Saskatchewan to come watch their team, and visiting Winnipeg restaurants. Lots of green around the city — we turned a blind eye this week and this week only — but the reality is, we had a lot of fun and we had some really good feedback on the growth and potential in business and stuff like that too.”
Jeffrey said one sign of the positive impact the Grey Cup festivities had on the city’s eateries is the fact that some visitors are still sticking around a day after the game is over — especially those who participated in the ‘Taste of the CFL’ event, representing the various teams around the league.
“We’re all foodies, especially when you’re talking about the chefs and the hospitality and the restaurant industries,” he said.
“When we go to towns, that’s our top priority — hitting restaurants. If you’re here working like they were… you’re not getting a lot of time to do that.
“They’re going to take the time — believe me, from a guy who does it himself. You’re going to spend a few extra days trying to unwind and take in the sights, but also take in the hospitality and the culinary scene in that city.”
Comments