If you have been trying to book a hotel room in Orlando this week, you might have found that few are available.
What You Need To Know
- March Madness games will be played in Orlando this year
- The crowds that come for the games need places to stay and eat
- This is the first time Orlando has hosted games in six years
The Greater Orlando Sports Commission says 14,000 hotel rooms were needed for basketball fans and teams attending today’s and Saturday's NCAA games. The commission says the economic impact to the area could be $15 million injected into the local economy.
This is good news for the Aloft hotel and other hotels located in downtown Orlando. The property is sold out for the next few nights thanks to the NCAA tournament fans that have descended on Orlando.
“It makes the hotel, it makes the community. It helps the energy through all of downtown,” said Raquel Sorrentino, director of sales for Aloft.
The 118-room hotel is booked for the next few nights, mainly with guests who have traveled to Florida for the games played at Amway Arena.
“It’s a slam dunk throughout the week for everyone,” said Sorrentino.
This year’s games include tier one college teams such as Duke and Tennessee. This is the first time in six years Orlando has hosted the NCAA tournament. Basketball games will be played at Amway through Saturday.