SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Hotel prices in Syracuse and Central New York have been on the rise since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Concerts, such as Bruce Springsteen’s recent performance at the JMA Dome, raise the prices even more. Fans from varying distances traveled to see Springsteen. Some of the attendees were local, but others came from hundreds of miles away.
Sheila Devaney, a native of Athens, Georgia, traveled to visit her sister and see Springsteen after the original show in the fall was postponed. Despite paying $200 per night for her stay in Clinton, the amenities at the hotel made it worth the price.
“It’s got a continental breakfast which is wonderful,” said Devaney. “Wednesdays they also have a cocktail reception. We also have, with a suite hotel, we have the kitchen and a living room space, so we go for comfort.”
Some counties in Central New York are higher than others. Momondo, a website that helps travelers find cheap flights and hotels, shows Oneida County is on the lower end of the price spectrum with an average of $154 per night while Oswego County takes the crown for the highest prices with an average of $179 per night.
Onondaga County is on the higher end of pricing with an average cost of $179 per night.
Visitors might be upset by the high prices, but large events drive the local economy. The Springsteen concert was projected to bring in $10 million to Syracuse and Central New York.
“Concerts of that magnitude really flood our market with a lot of people from outside the area which is great for us because we like to make a great first impression and try to get them back,” said Visit Syracuse President and CEO Danny Liedka.
There are other events that raise prices and drive the hospitality industry in Central New York. Sports such as Syracuse football and men’s basketball raise hotel prices along with events such as move-in week and graduation.
Hotel prices for the weekend of Syracuse’s graduation ceremony can cost as much as $900 per night, and some hotels in the area take reservations on rooms years in advance. One of the biggest reasons for that is Syracuse is in a predicament not many cities face.
“In Syracuse, we have an odd situation where the number of our hotel rooms actually keeps decreasing,” said Marriott Syracuse Downtown general manager Melissa Oliver. “Most cities have the opposite problem, too many hotel rooms not enough demand. We don’t have enough hotel rooms.”
The amount of hotel rooms in Syracuse is going to decline even more in the coming weeks as the Syracuse University Sheraton will close after graduation. It is being converted to student housing by the university. Losing the Sheraton is going to have a huge impact on the hospitality industry in the short term.
“The market will correct itself in the next three to five years, but in the short term it will have a massive impact,” said Liedka.
Consumers can save money when booking hotel rooms by planning their stay in advance and being a rewards member to provide discounts. However, one of the biggest ways you can save money is one that people often overlook.
“The biggest advice I can give people is to never used third-party sites such as Tripadvisor, Expedia, booking.com,” said Oliver. “If you booked through Expedia, showed up at our hotel, we can’t find your reservation. We then have to send you back to Expedia. They may have made a mistake, and there’s nothing we can do about it. And now you’re in this loop of not being able to get help.”
Keep all of this in mind the next time you plan a trip to see your favorite artist perform, or you hit in the road to cheer on your favorite sports team.
