Lodging was light despite big game

By Frank Ruggiero

Appalachian State University may have conquered Furman last Saturday, but tourism did not conquer the town of Boone as was expected.

Though thousands of football fans, coupled with a plethora of parents and family in town for ASU’s fall graduation, flooded the town Saturday, commerce proved to be a mixed shopping bag.

Mac Forehand, director of the Boone Convention and Visitors Bureau, said that an ideal weekend with full hotel occupancy could generate $225,000 in occupancy tax.

“And generally speaking among travelers, hotel expenses are significantly less than half of their total expenditures, which could be taking everyone out to dinner, buying souvenirs or maybe picking up a Christmas tree,” Forehand said.

The Quality Inn Appalachian Conference Center, though, fared rather well this past weekend, with almost 100 percent occupancy Saturday night. The 134-room hotel had about 80 percent occupancy Friday night.

“A lot of that, I know, was for the football game,” said Susan Curtis, general manager of the Quality Inn, located at the Blowing Rock Road and N.C. 105 intersection. “Once that game was announced, we started picking up a lot of additional reservations. And of course, graduation played a part in it, but the combination of the two made it a great weekend.”

The Super 8 Motel on N.C. 105 did not fare as well, though. General manager Selina Patel estimated the 100-room hotel had about 50 percent occupancy last weekend, and said she was surprised. She said part of the surprise could have been the result of location, since the Super 8 isn’t right next to the ASU campus.

However, Patel noted the hotel is already fully booked for the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, typically the busiest weekend for the local ski industry.

The Best Western Blue Ridge Plaza followed suit with the Quality Inn, and nearly reached 100 percent occupancy Friday and Saturday.

“We were a little concerned Friday, but we filled up at the last minute. Saturday was pretty close to sold out, too,” Best Western manager Jim Wooten said.

“We didn’t have the demand that we’ve seen in the past. We have not done near the (choose and cut) Christmas tree (tourism) packages that we’ve done in the past. We filled, but our Christmas tree activity was down tremendously.”

Brian York, assistant general manager of the Fairfield Inn and Suites on Blowing Rock Road, detected a somewhat low occupancy rate for the weekend. The hotel saw a 58 percent rate on Friday, followed by 78 percent on Saturday.

“We were expecting more, but I think the weather played a big role in it,” York said. “Everyone was canceling because they thought the weather was going to be bad.”

The weather on Saturday proved to be an ideal, albeit chilly, day in the High Country. York also attributes Appalachian’s shift in time for graduation to the lower rate.

“Because they moved the graduation to 6 (p.m.) due to the game, everyone who was supposed to come in Friday night didn’t want to sit around waiting all day Saturday, so they came up Saturday instead,” he said. 

When tourists stay the weekend in Boone, another primary draw for those tourism dollars is the area’s numerous restaurants and eateries. The Dan’l Boone Inn, perhaps the most popular dining attraction, usually boasts waiting lines that stretch along the side of the building, regardless of weather.

Jeff Shellman, Dan’l Boone Inn manager, noted that last weekend was probably about 20 percent busier than an average weekend.

“It varied,” he said of the line. “It was longer than it would normally be, but it was not a huge line.”

The restaurant, he added, saw a considerable amount of hungry Furman fans, as well as App fans.

The Mountain House restaurant, another popular breakfast place, saw a slower weekend than those preceding it.

“Graduation is always the busiest weekend of the year, but not the December one because you don’t have as many people graduating,” said Mike Austin, owner of the Mountain House.

The lack in numbers didn’t surprise Austin, as he said business usually slows down just before Christmas. The numbers did, however, surprise Judy Donaghy, executive director of the High Country Host Visitors Information Center.

“It was fairly slow in here, and the people who handled the phones out front told us they were not aware of any people having trouble finding hotel rooms,” Donaghy said. “I expected things to fill up with ASU moving graduation back to a later time, but didn’t hear of anything.”

Donaghy said last weekend would not have normally been an extremely busy weekend for the High Country, “but the thought was with the football game and graduation that it would have been. So, I really don’t have an explanation.”

The High Country Host, Donaghy explained, tracks walk-ins on weekends and on a daily-basis, and only saw 87 walk-ins Saturday, which she said is “very unusual,” as was the low number of phone calls that day.

Now, many hotels and merchants are turning their respective eyes towards the unflinching tourist season looming ahead – ski season.

“Pretty much right after Christmas, every weekend from thereon is packed,” York said.

Nonetheless, Forehand is pleased with the economic impact the past three weekends of previously unscheduled ASU football games has brought to the High Country.

“The three new football games were just icing on the cake,” Forehand said. “We always have a Christmas parade, and skiing usually gets started around this time, but three extra football games is just a huge addition. All in all, things have been really good.”

• Frank Ruggiero may be contacted

at ruggiero@wataugademocrat.com.