Hear that rumble? Bike Week, spring breakers to arrive together in Daytona Beach
As the roar of an extended Daytona 500 weekend fades into the distance, another familiar rumble looms on the horizon as tens of thousands of motorcycles soon will arrive for Bike Week, the annual 10-day celebration now in its 83rd year in Daytona Beach and throughout Central Florida.
Although the World’s Most Famous Beach remains the epicenter of this year’s event, which officially unfolds from March 1-10, Bike Week has expanded its footprint over the years to become a regional event that reaches beyond Volusia and Flagler counties.
Over its 10 days, Bike Week is expected to attract an estimated 300,000-400,000 visitors throughout a region that includes Volusia, Flagler, Seminole, Brevard, St. Johns, Duval and other counties in Central Florida, according to Janet Kersey, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event.
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All signs point to a big turnout this year, she said.
“It looks pretty strong to us,” Kersey said. “We’re heard from a few of the hoteliers and folks in the motorcycle industry and it looks like it will be a very strong Bike Week for us. Plus, what we’re hearing from other destinations ― Orlando, Sanford, St. Augustine, Cocoa. They are all telling us their numbers are looking good, as well.”
In Daytona Beach, there will be a few new wrinkles this year that will offer diversions for Bike Week visitors that nudge them toward marquee thoroughfares of Beach Street and Main Street, Kersey said.
The event’s official welcome center will now be in the courtyard on the northwest corner of Beach Street and International Speedway Boulevard, a move necessitated by construction activity at its former home at One Daytona, the retail, dining and entertainment complex across from Daytona International Speedway.
The welcome center’s presence hopefully will encourage Bike Week visitors to explore the newly completed Riverfront Esplanade as well as nearby local businesses, Kersey said.
“We hope they will park their bikes and take a walk along the Esplanade,” she said. “There are so many offerings out there, we want to make sure our local businesses, especially small businesses, are recognized, pointed out and shared with these visitors as well.”
On beachside, the Ocean Center will host three days of motocross action when AMA Arenacross Series racers navigate a course of jumps, berms and other challenges during competitions March 1, 8 and 9 in the convention center’s arena.
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“The Ocean Center will be active during Bike Week, which they haven’t been for a while,” Kersey said.
On Main Street, Kersey also is optimistic about what new owners of a trio of longtime businesses — Dirty Harry's Pub & Package, the Full Moon Saloon and The Bank live music club — have planned for the event.
Likewise, there’s high expectations about the lineup of vendors and live entertainment at Destination Daytona, at the intersection of Interstate 95 and U.S. Highway 1 in Ormond Beach, thanks to a new partnership with the Teddy Morse Harley-Davidson dealership that anchors the 150-acre complex.
“He has extensive resources to spread the word, bringing in new partners and producing new events,” she said. “These companies like Harley-Davidson and Indian, they are huge forces as far as getting the word out. They have tons and tons of followers all over the world.”
In Flagler County, expectations for Bike Week also are optimistic, said Michelle Mitchell, owner of the Flagler Beach Gift Shop near State Road A1A.
“Coming off the (Daytona) 500, everybody’s hope is that the rainy weather is completely behind us,” she said. “People are very excited about the 83rd annual Bike Week. The people that come here for Bike Week events like to come to Flagler Beach to see what’s happening, the changes.”
Along with Bike Week, spring break begins
In Daytona Beach, Bike Week also will coincide with the first week of college spring break, although the student influx isn’t expected to reach its peak until the following week, March 10-16, said Scott Edwards, manager at Daytona Welcome Center, a company that has booked Daytona Beach spring breakers since the tail-end of the MTV era in early 1990s.
During the week of March 10-16, students from 139 colleges and universities will be out on vacation, compared with nearly 70 schools on spring break during the first week of March, Edwards said.
With hotels charging premium rates during Bike Week, many students will wait to make reservations until after the motorcycle event, he said. Because so many students now book rooms online at the last minute, it’s hard to estimate how many might be arriving, Edwards said.
Nevertheless, those numbers represent only a tiny fraction of the hordes of unruly partiers that paralyzed the destination and left behind an indelible stigma in the MTV-era that peaked in 1989. It’s a different breed of student traveler now, Edwards said.
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“These kids that come down here, when go out at night 90% of them walk or take an Uber,” he said. “There’s not congestion with traffic or the issues safety-wise. They have their own credit cards, make their own reservations. They’re not coming down on buses. It’s a different animal.”
Meanwhile, the Daytona Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau in recent years has beckoned families to the destination for “Spring Family Beach Break,” touting a wholesome mix of attractions and activities.
It’s a transition that’s already evident, according to hoteliers and tourism officials.
“The majority of spring break guests are leaning towards families, and we promote that under the theme Spring Family Beach Break,” said Lori Campbell Baker, executive director of the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“If we get 15,000 actual spring breakers, that’s a lot,” said Bob Davis, president and CEO of the Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County. “It’s called family spring break.”
Bike Week, spring break already filling hotels
At the 744-room Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort, the area’s largest hotel, bookings are strong for Bike Week and throughout March due to a mix of motorcycle fans, families and college students, said Jim Berkley, general manager.
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“We are seeing a strong advance demand for both Bike Week 2024 and the traditional spring break travelers, which is a mix of families, college students and especially the Florida drive-in market,” he said.
The Hilton is expected to be sold-out during Bike Week, with “strong performance” in average daily room rates, Berkley said.
In Daytona Beach Shores, the outlook also is upbeat at the 212-room Shores Resort & Spa, said Rob Burnetti, general manager.
There, advance bookings are on par with a strong performance for the event in 2023, with interest is expected to pick up as the event approaches, he said.
“Typically, we see a little more excitement right after the (Daytona) 500, so we anticipate that we’ll see more pick-up right up to when the Bike Week starts,” he said. At the same time, average room rates are a bit lower than a year ago, he said, but that also could change.
“We were getting rates north of $400 last year for that second weekend, but this year we’re down about 10%,” he said. “But as we get closer to the event, the weekend rates are climbing. We’re not complaining. It’s still a great time overall for us.”
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It’s a similar story at hotels owned and operated by Ormond Beach-based Premier Resorts & Management.
Premier properties include Hilton Garden Inn; Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites; and the Best Western Daytona Inn Seabreeze; all in Daytona Beach; as well as the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Daytona Beach Shores.
“We were further ahead a year ago at this time for the event (Bike Week),” Takx said. “Nonetheless, we expect to sell out all available rooms at all our oceanfront hotels at rates level with last year.”
Spring breakers, meanwhile, represent no more than 10% of March and April business for Premier hotels, Takx said.
Bike Week visitors also will power business at hotels owned and operated by Ormond Beach-based Elite Hospitality Inc., said Manoj Bhoola, president and CEO.
“Our bookings are on par compared to last year with slightly higher rates,” he said. “We still have room availability but expect to be sold out like last year.”
Elite’s roster of area hotels includes the three properties near the Speedway — the Best Western Plus International Speedway; Hampton Inn by Hilton Daytona Speedway Airport; and the Hilton Garden Inn at Daytona Beach International Airport. In September, the company sold a fourth Volusia County hotel, the Ormond Beach Best Western Castillo Del Sol, that it had owned since 2007.
Spring breakers aren’t part of the picture at any of those hotels, Bhoola said.
“We no longer depend on the diminishing, unprofitable business from college students,” he said. “We are seeing more bookings from families mixed in with bikers throughout the busiest month of March.”
If you go
WHAT: 83rd Annual Bike Week
WHEN: March 1-10 in Daytona Beach and throughout Central Florida
ONLINE: officialbikeweek.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Bike Week 2024 ready to rumble into Daytona Beach
