DeLoss Dodds scheduled game on F1 Schedule noting "The B12 was working under the assumption that it's tentative"

[EzPeterson]

Personally, I don't think it's got to be all doom and gloom. More hotel rooms will exist in 2013 v 2012, the timing of the two events (provided the game is a night game) will be offset, and it'll just create one big, orange, party.

Bottom line, who cares if hotel rooms are crazy expensive? That's just more revenue for the hoteliers and more tax revenues for the city. Okies that don't want to drop the coin can stay in Waco or Temple and drive down for the game, or pony up.

I'm hoping they do overlap. That'll be one hell of a party.

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

For Pete's sake, in the bigger picture, this is a non-issue. If it is too expensive, people won't come stay for the game. If it is a day game, most people don't stay anyway. And honestly, the out of town football fans that I know very well seem to think F1 might be fun to see. Those same out of town friends are quite capable of paying 300+ a night if they want.

I agree - I doubt that it will be the big issue some folks people make it out to be.

Really the only inconvenience is the hotel issue -- and even with that, I think lots of hotel rooms were available at the last minute for the first F1 race at a reduced rate. The airport wasn't overloaded. And places like SoCo were underutilized. Perhaps what COTA can do this year is allow camping, an option that many F1 fans would take, and reduce it's impact on the hotels.

But multiple big events happening the same weekend like is going to become much more common, so we better get used to it. With all the existing conventions/festivals per year, ACL expanding to 2 weekends, 6 Longhorn home games, and now F1 plus MotoGP, GrandAm, Lemans, Aussie Supercars, etc... there is going to be inevitable overlap.

And it's not like F1 is overlapping with SXSW or one of the big-time Longhorn games. It's OK State. Unless something drastic changes next year, both teams will have multiple losses by mid-November and won't even be vying for the conference championship. I'm thinking tickets will be very cheap and it won't be a sellout. If it was 2009 or perhaps more recently when OK State was good, then maybe it would be different.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by mark311

Not entirely. Moving some of the parades is not re-scheduling Mardi Gras. The SuperBowl is in the middle. It's not like people that go there for Mardi Gras are going to head home for three days while the SuperBowl is going on and then go back.

The people that I know who are going to the SuperBowl are going for both Mardi Gras and the SuperBowl.

Have you been to Mardi Gras? The weekend that coincides with the Superbowl is kind of like "Mardi Gras lite". There are some suburban parades and a couple of low key Uptown and Midcity parades. Basically rescheduling the parades that weekend *is* rescheduling Mardi Gras for that weekend.

The actual date for Mardi Gras is Tuesday, Feb. 12 which is way after the Superbowl dies down. The weekend starting Friday night until "Fat Tuesday" before is the "real Mardi Gras" with the big parades such as Endymion, Orpheus, etc... culminating with Zulu and Rex on Fat Tuesday itself. That is also the time when the giant (private) balls occur and all the other Mardi Gras festivities.

No, Mardi Gras is not being moved because it occurs on Feb. 12 and that is much after the Superbowl on Sunday Feb. 3. But for all practical purposes there will be no Mardi Gras official celebrations during the Superbowl. Yes you'll be able to get king cake and yes there will be a festive spirit but the impact of the two on each each is minimal.

You really have to have gone to Mardi Gras to understand what I'm talking about...

Now if the Superbowl was the second weekend of Mardi Gras, there would be problems...

[ScoPro]

Just as long as I still get my Longhorn Foundation parking across the street from Scholz's.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by atxcio

Really the only inconvenience is the hotel issue -- and even with that, I think lots of hotel rooms were available at the last minute for the first F1 race at a reduced rate.

The hotels are already an issue - OSU can't find one.

And the idea that there were a lot of hotels last minute at a reduced rate is nonsense. This rumor got spread around by one erroneous reporter looking for a scoop and picked up by the blogs. . . but by all actual accounts with the hoteliers I spoke with indicated they were sold out, turning away offers up to 10K a night.

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by Komeht

The hotels are already an issue - OSU can't find one.

And the idea that there were a lot of hotels last minute at a reduced rate is nonsense. This rumor got spread around by one erroneous reporter looking for a scoop and picked up by the blogs. . . but by all actual accounts with the hoteliers I spoke with indicated they were sold out, turning away offers up to 10K a night.

OSU can't find a 100 room block in-town, that's VERY different than no available hotel rooms. Go look at hotels.com or kayak.com, there are plenty available at less than they would have cost last year.

And no, the reduced rate hotels during F1 weekend were not an error by a single reporter. This was widely reported by many. It was primarily a case of the hotels blocking rooms for COTA to sell through hotelsforhope.com and their own website; or operators holding out with 3 or 4 night minimums. When the blocks were released, the rooms were available for significantly less at the last minute.

So while the area hotels definitely saw a big increase year-over-year for Nov '12, both in occupancy and average nightly rate (a big success), there was likely a chunk of empty rooms on race weekend. That's probably inevitable as the market figures out just how to price this inventory, but still.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by atxcio

OSU can't find a 100 room block in-town, that's VERY different than no available hotel rooms. Go look at hotels.com or kayak.com, there are plenty available at less than they would have cost last year.

And no, the reduced rate hotels during F1 weekend were not an error by a single reporter. This was widely reported by many. It was primarily a case of the hotels blocking rooms for COTA to sell through hotelsforhope.com and their own website; or operators holding out with 3 or 4 night minimums. When the blocks were released, the rooms were available for significantly less at the last minute.

So while the area hotels definitely saw a big increase year-over-year for Nov '12, both in occupancy and average nightly rate (a big success), there was likely a chunk of empty rooms on race weekend. That's probably inevitable as the market figures out just how to price this inventory, but still.

1. I didn't say there were no rooms. There are - for a very very steep price. Part of the problem is OSU needs a bunch of rooms for one night. Every hotel within 50 miles of hear will have a sell-out for 4 nights - there is no way they will release a block for one.

2. It was a mistaken report by one reporter that was amplified through the internet of everyone looking for a way F1 fell on its face. Didn't happen. There were a very few last minute cancellations (selling at 300% mark up) and trust me on this - many many many people chasing a very small number of very very expensive rooms. The idea that there was a big chunk of unsold rooms is a complete myth.

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by Komeht

1. I didn't say there were no rooms. There are - for a very very steep price. Part of the problem is OSU needs a bunch of rooms for one night. Every hotel within 50 miles of hear will have a sell-out for 4 nights - there is no way they will release a block for one.

Well, at least we can agree that there are rooms. I think big blocks of rooms in the same hotel are always going to be a difficult to find, and with the 2 dates coinciding clearly OSU could not just call their usual place and say "give us the usual 100 rooms". And somehow that makes the basis for a whole news story, I guess.

Also I think you might be off on the "steep price" but I guess that's relative. Hotels.com has them going for $70 per night, the cheapest one being in Round Rock but that's certainly not 50 miles away. And it's not a 4 day minimum, you can book at those rates for only 1 two nights:

Hotels.com - hotels in Austin (and vicinity), Texas, United States

2. It was a mistaken report by one reporter that was amplified through the internet of everyone looking for a way F1 fell on its face. Didn't happen. There were a very few last minute cancellations (selling at 300% mark up) and trust me on this - many many many people chasing a very small number of very very expensive rooms. The idea that there was a big chunk of unsold rooms is a complete myth.

I'm curious which one report was a mistake? Was it this one:
Hotel rooms available for F1 weekend | KXAN.com
I don't see a correction on it, what part of it was wrong?

How about these other ones, like the Houston Chronicle:
Texas billionaires bet on Austin F-1 race backed by state - Houston Chronicle

With just days to go before the start, more than 115 hotels in Austin had vacancies, Priceline.com and other travel websites show.

Or this one with a pic:
Austin Hotels May Not be F1 Sellout City Hoped For | Austin News | Austin Post

Or any of these:
Austin-area hotels took in $32M during Formula 1 - Austin Business Journal
Formula One's Mexican fans expected to boost S.A. tourism - San Antonio Express-News
Austin News | Austin Post

BTW, let me be clear -- I'm not trying to say F1 wasn't a success and that the hotel situation is good. I went to the race, and it was the most awesome thing I've seen. I saw the crowds and I know the money and prestige they brought to our city. And I know the hotels were at some of their record occupancy levels.

My point is simply that sooner or later, it's inevitable that big events will coincide in Austin now. And it's not going to be a "disaster".