Charlotte hotels, bars ready for Belk Bowl fans
Uptown will be awash in red and maroon Wednesday as N.C. State and Mississippi State fans gather for the Belk Bowl, and Charlotte hotels and restaurants are hoping that translates to extra green during a normally slow time.
The 2014 Belk Bowl generated $16.7 million in economic impact, $8.7 million in direct visitor spending and $462,000 in Mecklenburg County taxes, according to the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.
This year’s game, one of 41 collegiate football bowl games, will take place at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Bank of America Stadium. The Belk Bowl also includes fan events such as a 5K race, a party at the EpiCentre and a fanfest featuring singer Carrie Underwood.
Belk Bowl revenue is generated through sponsorships, ticket sales, broadcast sales and other similar sources, said Will Webb, Belk Bowl executive director. The money is used to pay the teams, the expenses, the staff and insurance, among other liabilities.
“You’ve got Mississippi State, the last game (of the season) for them. N.C. State has got a good local base, and it will be a very good game for television and a good game to come watch,” Webb said.
Tickets are still available.
December and January are low occupancy months for hotels because the business traveler is off the road for a large portion of the time, said Sid Smith, executive director of the Charlotte Area Hotel Association.
“Anything that brings a group of people to town is good for those months,” Smith said, listing the Belk Bowl as one such critical event.
As soon as the teams were announced in early December, Charlotte hotels started receiving booking calls from fans.
Several city-center hotels reported a 75 to 80 percent occupancy range for the night before and after the game, Smith said. Hotels might bring in four times the food and beverage revenue during this time as compared to a normal week at the same occupancy level, he said.
“N.C. State fans love to see their school play,” Smith said. “We’re fully expecting N.C. State will travel well. We’re expecting Mississippi State to travel well because it has a big fan base.”
Bars and restaurants in downtown Charlotte are planning for a higher traffic evening.
Jeremy Ashe, operating partner at BlackFinn, a restaurant and bar in the EpiCentre, said this is the eighth year it’s been open when the bowl game rolled around.
“Obviously we look at staffing levels, product levels, etc. to make sure that those fans that are in town receive the over-the-top hospitality that BlackFinn is known for,” Ashe said in an email.
Courtyard Hooligans, a European-style sports pub along Brevard Court, benefits from its proximity to the stadium, said John Dixon, the bar’s general manager.
“It will be a nice increase on a Wednesday afternoon around the holidays, which is usually a slower time,” Dixon said. “We’ve just got to make sure we have enough beer, liquor and ice on hand.”
This story was originally published December 29, 2015 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Charlotte hotels, bars ready for Belk Bowl fans."