Daytona's Bike Week rolls on, but did rainy forecasts dampen impact for hotels, merchants?
DAYTONA BEACH — A Bike Week regular on Main Street for nearly five decades, Sam Acquaro is an astute observer of the annual 10-day celebration of motorcycles and the people who love them.
“This is my 49th straight Bike Week,” said Acquaro, 75, of Port Orange, shouting above the molar-rattling rumble of yet another parade of Harley-Davidsons on Friday afternoon along the event’s traditional people-watching hub. “It’s been excellent, so far.”
Perched on his “Grim Reaper” Harley-Davidson every day in his regular spot outside the One Sexy Biker Chick retail store, Acquaro has watched the 83rd annual edition of the event with expert eyes.
His verdict?
“It has been really crowded,” he said. “There are a lot of people here. You don’t usually see that many people here every day.”
At the same time, however, Daytona Beach hoteliers report fewer guests at lower rates than anticipated, a potential side effect of weather forecasts that called for high rain chances throughout the event.
“I’m hearing from a lot of folks that, for whatever reason, it’s not as big as has been in the past, and that the rates have gone downward rather than upward,” said Bob Davis, president and CEO of the Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County.
“We’re doing OK, but it’s not like last year,” he said, pointing to forecasts throughout the week that called for as high as a 60% chance of rain at times. Ultimately, skies were mostly sunny throughout the event, but the predictions likely kept some potential hotel guests away, Davis said.
“Every day we were supposed to have a storm,” he said. “When that’s the forecast, the people from Ocala, Jacksonville, Miami and St. Pete did not come, that is my belief.”
For hoteliers, rain forecasts dampened expectations
Weather was to blame for occupancy and daily room rates that fell short of expectations at hotels owned and operated by Elite Ormond Beach-based Elite Hospitality Inc., said Manoj Bhoola, president and CEO.
“We are 20% lower in occupancy and 10% lower in ADR (average daily room rate), so the total is 30% lower in revenue,” Bhoola said. “The rain dampened all of our Bike Week business, so we will end up much lower than last year.”
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Elite’s roster of area hotels includes the Best Western Plus International Speedway; Hampton Inn by Hilton Daytona Speedway Airport; and the Hilton Garden Inn at Daytona Beach International Airport.
Elsewhere, it was a similar story at the 64-room Quality Inn Daytona Speedway, just across the street from Daytona International Speedway, said Deborah Bailey, general manager.
Although she declined to disclose numbers, Bailey said that Bike Week was “a struggle” this year.
“I have no clue why,” she said on Friday. “It’s very frustrating. It might be weather, as the forecast was rain earlier in the week.”
Occupancy and rates also were down a bit at the 212-room Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach Shores, said Rob Burnetti, general manager.
There, occupancy dipped “by single digits” compared with the event a year ago, Burnetti said. Rates also were down from 10-12% compared with last year, he said.
Although weather was a factor, Burnetti said that room rates that have been on the rise in the Daytona Beach market since the destination enjoyed a record-setting rebound in the wake of the pandemic might be hitting a plateau for potential guests.
“I do think the weather has played into it, but the weather hasn’t been that bad here,” he said. “We’ve had some beautiful days. I think it’s gotten a little more expensive and people are putting more thought into it and not staying as long. I think the prices are maybe scaring some people away.”
Burnetti points out that he has noticed campgrounds in the area have been packed for the event, evidence that the price of accommodations could be an issue. “I don’t think you could find a hotel room now for less than $300,” during Bike Week in Daytona Beach, he said.
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Meanwhile, the 744-room Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort, the area’s largest hotel, has logged sold-out rooms nightly throughout the 10-day Bike Week event, said Jim Berkley, general manager.
“It has been an outstanding special event period for Hilton Daytona Beach,” said Berkley, who praised the event for “delivering strong average room rate performance” despite the weather outlook.
“Earlier wet weather forecasts did have us concerned, however as Bike Week began the weather improved greatly, which certainly keeps our guests and visitors happy.”
Despite clouds, Main Street merchants in sunny mood
The assessment of the event was equally sunny by both Main Street merchants and leadership of the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, the event’s organizer.
“The rain forecasts didn’t seem to hold anybody back,” said Janet Kersey, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Daytona Chamber. “Overcast and rainy works best for our local merchants because a lot of visitors want to shop and eat in, so that helps the local businesses in a way. We were really thrilled to see so many people in our community for the full 10 days.”
Bike Week attendance is estimated by the Chamber at 300,000-400,000 throughout a region that includes Volusia, Flagler, Orange, Seminole, Brevard, St. Johns and Duval counties.
That’s a ballpark estimate that has remained unchanged at least for a decade based on data that is nearly two decades old, Kersey acknowledged.
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This year, a more accurate estimate based on cellphone technology is in the works, at least within the Daytona Beach city limits.
Geofencing technology is being used for the first time at this year’s Bike Week by the City of Daytona Beach to provide an accurate count of visitors in various hot spots within city limits throughout the event, said Susan Cerbone, city spokeswoman.
The city paid $26,250 for a one-year service term with the analytics firm Placer.ai to calculate the number of Bike Week visitors in the areas surrounding Main Street, Daytona International Speedway and Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard, Cerbone said.
It will be at least a month before estimates generated by the new system will be available, she said.
On Main Street, meanwhile, merchants reported booming business.
“We’re doing better than last year,” said Tom Betts, brewmaster and co-owner of the World’s Most Famous Brewery, where Bike Week offerings included special-edition concoctions such as a WTF (What’s The Flavor) Selzer in peach, watermelon, coconut and other varieties. “We had a little bit of a slow start, but we’re having a great finish.”
The weather helped drive customer traffic at Biker Brothers apparel shop, a block west of Atlantic Avenue, said owner Roger Harb.
“We’ve had a lot of people spending,” he said, pointing out that much of the predicted rain never materialized. “They (forecasters) should let God run the weather and find a different job. I’m hiring.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: What was Bike Week impact on Daytona hotels, businesses
