GREEN BAY (NBC26) — A Green Bay Packers home game on Thanksgiving Day is the perfect recipe for a projected surge in travelers coming to Green Bay.
- A Hotel.com spokesperson told me travel searches to Green Bay was up 415% for the holiday because of the Packers-Dolphins game.
- They said flights searched also increased 100% compared to last year.
- Data shows the average fan coming to Titletown for the game will stay in the city for two nights.
Green Bay claims the #1 spot on Hotels.com’s top trending destinations for Thanksgiving
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
The Green Bay Packers aren't the only ones preparing for game day on thanksgiving
"We have no idea what to expect," Amanda Watson, owner of Stadium View Sports Bar & Event Hall, said. "We're playing it as a typical home game."
Watson said Thursday's home game brings new energy for holiday business.
"An away thanksgiving game is a little bit different, so having it home, we're very excited to have that be the case," Watson said.
The biggest difference-maker: Holiday travel.
According to a statement from a Hotels.com spokesperson, the Frozen Tundra is the hottest football destination on Thanksgiving Day.
Numbers from Hotels.com show that searches for Green Bay lodging on Thanksgiving is up more than 415%.
Flight searches to Green Bay are also up 100% compared to last year.
Those numbers, the spokesperson says, is directly due to the Packers taking on the Miami Dolphins at Lambeau Field.
"We're getting there, we have four rooms left," Zach Witt, director of catering at Legacy Hotel, said.
Witt says staff will have their hands full too, but he hopes to have plates full of food for guests attending their Thanksgiving buffet.
"Essentially all your thanksgiving favorites," Witt said. "We try to create memorable experiences here. You can't forget the family around the holidays."
Witt said although Packers and Dolphins fans will fill the hotel, the Thanksgiving buffet is open to the entire community.
Hotels.com data shows the average fan traveling for the Packers-Dolphins game is staying for two nights, which is something Watson believes will help many businesses in the area.
"Hopefully people are still staying in town for the weekend and really got to experience what Green Bay and Ashwaubenon is about and that's what we're looking forward to as well," Watson said.
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