Some Interesting Hotel Information About The Bayou Classic


Kenn Rashad

Kenn Rashad

Person In Charge
Staff member
On Saturday I had a chance to meet with a representative from the New Orleans Convention Company Inc. (NOCCI), the company that manages the Bayou Classic. The representative told me that New Orleans area hotels reported an occupancy rate of 93 percent for last year’s Bayou Classic.

I am not an expert by any means in the area of hotel and restaurant management, but a 93 percent hotel occupancy rate is excellent. I mentioned this because some have argued that if some hotels would drop their rates, it could entice more people to visit New Orleans and potentially increase game day attendance. However, if we apply the basic economic rules of supply and demand it’s not surprising that area hotels refuse to drop their rates when they can get a 93 percent occupancy rate.

With this information mind, does this change your view about the BC? Could it be that people are going to New Orleans for the weekend, but simply refuse to go to the football game?

Thoughts?
 
It has been said many times that is what folks are doing. I think it is true. New Orleans is a party town and folks are enjoying the scene more than the game.
 



Kenn Rashad said:
On Saturday I had a chance to meet with a representative from the New Orleans Convention Company Inc. (NOCCI), the company that manages the Bayou Classic. The representative told me that New Orleans area hotels reported an occupancy rate of 93 percent for last year’s Bayou Classic.

I am not an expert by any means in the area of hotel and restaurant management, but a 93 percent hotel occupancy rate is excellent. I mentioned this because some have argued that if some hotels would drop their rates, it could entice more people to visit New Orleans and potentially increase game day attendance. However, if we apply the basic economic rules of supply and demand it’s not surprising that area hotels refuse to drop their rates when they can get a 93 percent occupancy rate.

With this information mind, does this change your view about the BC? Could it be that people are going to New Orleans for the weekend, but simply refuse to go to the football game?

Thoughts?
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If that 93% is accurate, then rates will never drop. No need. Folk are flocking to N.O. for some reason.
 
On a serious tip, I think the BC is just experiencing some growing pains. Relative to the the MCC (1944) and the TDC (1924), the BC (1974) is a relatively new Classic. The loss of Eddie Robinson, Hurricane Katrina, and SU's program's recent decline have all played a part, in my opinion. Once Doug re-establishes Grambling as a power, and SU gets the right coach, the BC should begin to recover.

On the other hand, the MCC and the TDC have been around for so long, they had made themselves somewhat recession-proof, as well as sorry-football-team-proof :lol: . They have had more time than the BC to establish themselves in the culture of their respective Universities and communities.

More later . . . .
 
Robber said:
If that 93% is accurate, then rates will never drop. No need. Folk are flocking to N.O. for some reason.
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So true... what "we" need to do is have a 93% attendance capacity at the game and fewer folks staying in the hotel rooms. Bet those mofos would lower their rates then!
Everyone needs to drive out to Kenner and Metairie (even if the rate is only slightly lower).
 
how many hotels do they consider in the occupancy rate area? Kenner? Slidell? Downtown?

What's the rate for hotels that don't automatically hold rooms for university officials as SU, GSU hold rooms in 4 hotels at least for bands, football, etc.?
 
Kenn Rashad said:
On Saturday I had a chance to meet with a representative from the New Orleans Convention Company Inc. (NOCCI), the company that manages the Bayou Classic. The representative told me that New Orleans area hotels reported an occupancy rate of 93 percent for last year’s Bayou Classic.

I am not an expert by any means in the area of hotel and restaurant management, but a 93 percent hotel occupancy rate is excellent. I mentioned this because some have argued that if some hotels would drop their rates, it could entice more people to visit New Orleans and potentially increase game day attendance. However, if we apply the basic economic rules of supply and demand it’s not surprising that area hotels refuse to drop their rates when they can get a 93 percent occupancy rate.

With this information mind, does this change your view about the BC? Could it be that people are going to New Orleans for the weekend, but simply refuse to go to the football game?

Thoughts?
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Thanks for posting this information Kenn. I'm not shocked at the occupancy rate at all, because a ton of people from New Orleans use that weekend to return home for the holidays as well as the Bayou Classic. Like someone said before, the Bayou Classic management company needs to do a better job of marketing this event. With the events that take place related to the Bayou Classic, there are tons of things to do in New Orleans that they can package together to get people interested. I told Mitch during Essence Fest that a small scale event like the French Quarter and Essence Fest would be nice to have that weekend. As far as the hotel rates, i've found it better to just call the reservation line that Friday morning to book a room. They will know the night before of the rooms they will have left and will be more willing to give you a better rate.
 
Do forget that BC falls on Thanksgiving Weekend. So part of that 93% is due to the holiday.
 
Kenn Rashad said:
On Saturday I had a chance to meet with a representative from the New Orleans Convention Company Inc. (NOCCI), the company that manages the Bayou Classic. The representative told me that New Orleans area hotels reported an occupancy rate of 93 percent for last year’s Bayou Classic.

I am not an expert by any means in the area of hotel and restaurant management, but a 93 percent hotel occupancy rate is excellent. I mentioned this because some have argued that if some hotels would drop their rates, it could entice more people to visit New Orleans and potentially increase game day attendance. However, if we apply the basic economic rules of supply and demand it’s not surprising that area hotels refuse to drop their rates when they can get a 93 percent occupancy rate.

With this information mind, does this change your view about the BC? Could it be that people are going to New Orleans for the weekend, but simply refuse to go to the football game?

Thoughts?
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I think that is correct Kenn. Although I do not think New Orleans has been crowded as it has been in years past. You still have a lot of people in those hotels and in the city. But they choose to stay away from the game. Especially the younger crowd. They are there for the parties and such.
 
JR said:
I think that is correct Kenn. Although I do not think New Orleans has been crowded as it has been in years past. You still have a lot of people in those hotels and in the city. But they choose to stay away from the game. Especially the younger crowd. They are there for the parties and such.
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With that said, something needs to be done to get this crowd to the game.
 
Deuce said:
On a serious tip, I think the BC is just experiencing some growing pains. Relative to the the MCC (1944) and the TDC (1924), the BC (1974) is a relatively new Classic. The loss of Eddie Robinson, Hurricane Katrina, and SU's program's recent decline have all played a part, in my opinion. Once Doug re-establishes Grambling as a power, and SU gets the right coach, the BC should begin to recover.

On the other hand, the MCC and the TDC have been around for so long, they had made themselves somewhat recession-proof, as well as sorry-football-team-proof :lol: . They have had more time than the BC to establish themselves in the culture of their respective Universities and communities.

More later . . . .
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Wait a minute!!!! What do you mean, re-establish Grambling as a power? The 4yr BC record before Doug is 3-1... The 4year period under the prior staff had an undefeated home record... The 4 year period prior to Doug's return, our in conference tally was as follows: 2007 (1 conference loss - SCG runnerup), 2008 (undefeated in Conference - SCG Champs), 2009 (2 conference loss), 2010 (1 conference loss). In other words, in the 4 years before Doug returned, we lost a total of 4 conference games! Please explain, re-establish!
 
MikeBigg said:
. . . . Please explain, re-establish!
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MB, yeah I know you guys have done well of late. When I say re-establishes Grambling as a power, I'm referring to putting Grambling perinnially back in the national championship conversation the way you guys were throughout the Robinson era, and throughout much of Doug's first tenure as head coach.
 
ain't happening in this day and age unless the playoffs become an option

FCS knows that and we'll never get ranked high as a result
 
bluedog said:
Um... us having a winning record

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
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Win or lose, the younger generation needs to be more like the older generation. They need support the team no matter what the record is.
 



bluedog said:
Um... us having a winning record
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I'm of the opinion that there may be something to this. How many of your BR area Jags say in New Orleans for the BC weekend? I'm guessing that a number of you go to the game and simply make the drive back to BR afterwards.
 
SAME OLD G said:
I'm of the opinion that there may be something to this. How many of your BR area Jags say in New Orleans for the BC weekend? I'm guessing that a number of you go to the game and simply make the drive back to BR afterwards.
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If we can get a lot of them to do that then we wouldn't be having this conversation.
 
Kenn, I'm going to be honest the times I have gone to the classic I did not attend the game. I purchased tickets on GP but I enjoy the fun outside of the game. I would usually chill in the Westin getting drunk in the room while the game is on.


NUPE is on the move - Using Tapatalk
 
Deuce said:
On a serious tip, I think the BC is just experiencing some growing pains. Relative to the the MCC (1944) and the TDC (1924), the BC (1974) is a relatively new Classic. The loss of Eddie Robinson, Hurricane Katrina, and SU's program's recent decline have all played a part, in my opinion. Once Doug re-establishes Grambling as a power, and SU gets the right coach, the BC should begin to recover.

On the other hand, the MCC and the TDC have been around for so long, they had made themselves somewhat recession-proof, as well as sorry-football-team-proof :lol: . They have had more time than the BC to establish themselves in the culture of their respective Universities and communities.

More later . . . .
Click to expand...

Why do you bring up the TDC when classics are mentioned? Even what some refer to as a failed CCC outperforms/ed the TDC. JSU's homecoming is bigger than the TDC (attendance wise). We can call the Valley game a classic this year becasue we are easily bringing in 40K.

As with the BC, you are right... Katrina and SU being so bad has hurt. I also don't buy the argument that they have been around longer. I think everyone will agree that when it comes to Alcorn, JSU, SU, and Grambling, we are used to winning. If JSU and Alcorn both have 7 or 8 wins coming into the game this year, they will HAVE to move it to Jackson. Also, JSU, SU and GSU have 3-5 marque games per year that spreads out the fans, AAMU fans have ONE game traditionally that they attend or care about so they don't care about the winning or losing. The same with the SU-JSU games. That game can go from 40K to 60K in a heartbeat depending on the records. I am perplexed now at trying to figure out how to get to two more JSU games.. i already have plane tickets for two. ..and neither of my games of interest is the SHC. I doubt that an ASU or AAMU ever asks for another date outside of the MCC and maybe homecoming. At the end of the day, AAMU and ASU fans put 80% of the eggs in the MCC basket. That is not the case for Grambling and Southern.

To me, the Florida Classic gets major props becasue they have high azz reserved tickets and they still pack the house.

So the Bayou Classic doesn't need more time. It's still probably the most popular HBCU Classic in the world. It needs a good SU team. These schools care about winning. They are not coming to see the Jukebox or the Marching Tigers, they are coming to see some good football. So someone from one of the BAMA schools can't really relate or advise. The BC could be 100 years old and ain't nobody coming to see Stump!
 
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JAG89 said:
Win or lose, the younger generation needs to be more like the older generation. They need support the team no matter what the record is.
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The younger generation is like that, especially if the tickets are high and they have already bought a stepshow ticket. They need to get $5-10 off or something with those stepshow ticket stubs, etc.. The CIAA would DIE a sudden death if they had to depend on the young folks. All they do is go there to party. The old folks here in Philly are OUT during CIAA weekend and they have their tickets in hand NOW. :lol: The young folks just trying to get a room and find out where the party at.

Also, NBC starting the game so early is also unattractive to young people. I sent JSUs administration an email with CCC attendance. Anytime our game starts at 1 PM, we hover around 30-35K. If the game starts at 3 or 4PM, you get an extra 15K people in there! In a city like New Orleans, it has to be worse than it is in jackson becasue you can party ALL night in New Orleans. I know people are not trying to be up by 10 or 11 to get cleaned up, dressed, and eat before battling traffic to get to a 1 PM game.
 
Aye you smoke that good stuff don't you?
Tigerpride said:
Why do you bring up the TDC when classics are mentioned? Even what some refer to as a failed CCC outperforms/ed the TDC. JSU's homecoming is bigger than the TDC (attendance wise). We can call the Valley game a classic this year becasue we are easily bringing in 40K.

As with the BC, you are right... Katrina and SU being so bad has hurt. I also don't buy the argument that they have been around longer. I think everyone will agree that when it comes to Alcorn, JSU, SU, and Grambling, we are used to winning. If JSU and Alcorn both have 7 or 8 wins coming into the game this year, they will HAVE to move it to Jackson. Also, JSU, SU and GSU have 3-5 marque games per year that spreads out the fans, AAMU fans have ONE game traditionally that they attend or care about so they don't care about the winning or losing. The same with the SU-JSU games. That game can go from 40K to 60K in a heartbeat depending on the records. I am perplexed now at trying to figure out how to get to two more JSU games.. i already have plane tickets for two. ..and neither of my games of interest is the SHC. I doubt that an ASU or AAMU ever asks for another date outside of the MCC and maybe homecoming. At the end of the day, AAMU and ASU fans put 80% of the eggs in the MCC basket. That is not the case for Grambling and Southern.

To me, the Florida Classic gets major props becasue they have high azz reserved tickets and they still pack the house.

So the Bayou Classic doesn't need more time. It's still probably the most popular HBCU Classic in the world. It needs a good SU team. These schools care about winning. They are not coming to see the Jukebox or the Marching Tigers, they are coming to see some good football. So someone from one of the BAMA schools can't really relate or advise. The BC could be 100 years old and ain't nobody coming to see Stump!
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You know, I started to write this big, deep, intellectual response to TP's post, then I realized it was Tigerpride . . . . so, nevermind.
 
CEE DOG said:
Aye you smoke that good stuff don't you?
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LOL.. Cee I ain't mad at ya'll and I hope the MCC continues to grow. It's good for the SWAC but you know (without smacking) that I am telling the truth. Ya'll probably have every hotel in Bham already booked and if both teams are 2-6 going into the game, YALL STILL GOING JUST TO BE GOING :lol:. SU and GSU alums prob have rooms in New Orleans reserved but if Stump or Doug starts out at 2-5, they are cancelling those rooms.

I wish it wasn't like that but I think that me, you and the rest of the readership know that I am telling the truth. The only thing that is going to pack the Superdome is two quality teams on the field. All of that other "brainstorming" is a waste of time. We have seen the trends and we know what gets the fans blood pumping.
 
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Deuce said:
You know, I started to write this big, deep, intellectual response to TP's post, then I realized it was Tigerpride . . . . so, nevermind.
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Good because you are probably going to say a lot of negative stuff that this thread does not need. Let's keep it informative, FUN, and TRUTHFUL.
 
Tigerpride said:
Good because you are probably going to say a lot of negative stuff that this thread does not need. Let's keep it informative, FUN, and TRUTHFUL.
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:lol:

Negative?

Man please. That's laughable. :lol:

I guess that mess you posted isn't negative, huh? :smh: Everybody else was making valid, serious statements. You're the one who came in with those lame brain remarks . . . . as usual. :smh:
 
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