The recent Indiana football success has meant stadium sell-outs and scarce hotel rooms.
Visit Bloomington Executive Director Mike McAfee said occupancy rates can reach up to 95 percent during game weekends bringing $10 million into the economy.
“Football season has always been one of, you know, fall weekends with fall foliage and the events happening throughout the community," McAfee said. "It's always been our busiest time of year.”
He said room rates typically more than double the rates of non-game or non-event weekends, but that’s not new.
Construction is in full gear on the convention center expansion scheduled to be complete in a couple years. McAfee said he isn’t too worried about booking big conventions near football weekends.
“We're trying to bring in groups on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, not during, not when we're having a football game. I mean, it's great if those people stay over,” he said.
The city is also in discussions with Dora Hospitality to develop the convention center companion hotel with at least 200 rooms but will come years after the expansion is complete.
The 45-room Posh hotel recently opened on Kirkwood Avenue. And McAfee says another boutique hotel is coming to the downtown Trades District.
