Hotels Post Moderate Gains for Super Bowl [AUDIO]

Hotel occupancy rates from Super Bowl weekend have been released, and they aren’t impressive.

Overnight stay establishments in Bergen County, where MetLife Stadium is located, reported 61.2 percent occupancy according to STR Analytics. The number certainly represented a jump from the same time last year, but it’s a far cry from the 99.5 percent reached by New Orleans during Super Bowl XLVII.

East Rutherford mayor James Cassella said he’s not surprised by the poor showing, given a lack of promotion for New Jersey prior to the big game.

“The NFL was going to make this a New York event,” said Cassella, who had been pushing for a brighter spotlight on New Jersey ever since the region was awarded Super Bowl XLVIII. “By not promoting New Jersey, people from around the country – specifically Denver and Seattle, and other areas where they may have been coming from – probably had no idea of the proximity of East Rutherford, of Bergen County, to New York City, and how it would’ve been very convenient for them to stay here.”

The Big Apple was host to Super Bowl Boulevard leading up to the Feb. 2 game; it was also the backdrop to major sports networks’ reports and interviews.

“Everything was taking place in New York, and that’s probably where they decided to go,” Cassella added.

Hotels in the area of Times Square reported the highest occupancy, 79.8 percent, over Super Bowl weekend. Uptown/Midtown East hotels reported an occupancy rate of nearly 75 percent.