Rolex 24 at Daytona expected to drive busy weekend at Volusia hotels

DAYTONA BEACH — As a field of world-class drivers await the start of the Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance race Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, hospitality workers already are shifting into high gear to accommodate fans expected to sell out hotel rooms at the World’s Most Famous Beach.

“We’re looking pretty darn good for the Rolex,” said Deborah Bailey, general manager of the 64-room Quality Inn Daytona Speedway, just across the street from Daytona International Speedway. “We’re pretty much sold out, with only one room left for that night. So, things are looking good.”

At the Quality Inn, race fans will arrive to find rooms that have been improved with new furniture as part of an ongoing seven-month renovation project expected to be completed in March, Bailey said. Although she declined to state the amount of money being invested in the work, it also will include new carpet, new bathrooms and vanities, she said.

“Our chief engineer has made our rooms look spectacular,” she said.

In addition to the Rolex, room bookings also are brisk for NASCAR’s upcoming Daytona 500 on Feb. 18 at the Speedway, Bailey said.

“For both the 500 and the Rolex, I’m pretty happy with what’s going on right now,” she said. “If we could just get the weather to cooperate, then we would be set.”

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In her years of welcoming hotel guests headed to races across the street, Bailey said that she has seen how weather-related delays can dampen spirits.

“I do know that when they spend that much money for a race and then they get frustrated by the weather, it can put a sour taste in their mouth.”

Weather, hotel outlook both optimistic

At this point, the advance forecast looks to be favorable for race fans, with a 20% chance of isolated afternoon showers on race day in Daytona Beach and temperatures expected to be in the mid- to upper-70s, said Melissa Watson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne.

In the tourism realm, the outlook for the Rolex also is upbeat at hotels owned and operated by Ormond Beach-based Elite Hospitality Inc., said Manoj Bhoola, president and CEO.

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.

Fan interest in both the Rolex and the Daytona 500 continues to build every year, pushing the company’s hotels to outperform past revenue totals generated by the events, Bhoola said.

“The average daily room rate continues to increase every year, as it will for this year’s Rolex and the Daytona 500,” Bhoola said. “This year’s bookings for the Rolex 24 and Daytona 500 have already exceeded our expectations, and we are well ahead of last year.”

At One Daytona, the dining, retail and entertainment complex across the street from the Speedway, rooms also are expected to be sold out at The Daytona Marriott Autograph Collection hotel and the Fairfield Inn & Suites, said Nancy Guran, director of sales at both hotels.

“The excitement for these events and the increased fan base that follows IMSA, NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway certainly increases visitors to our area each year, which is so exciting for Daytona Beach,” Guran said.

Expectations also are upbeat at hotels owned and operated by Ormond Beach-based Premier Resorts & Management, said Domien Takx, the company’s vice president of operations.

“We will sell all available rooms for both the Roar (Before the 24) and Rolex races coming up,” Takx said. “We are also in good shape to do the same for the big race, the Daytona 500. It speaks to the resilience of this market and the continued positive effects of special events on our hotels. The average daily rate will be flat to last year, but still elevated because they are special events.”

Premier properties include Hilton Garden Inn, Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, and Best Western Daytona Inn Seabreeze, all in Daytona Beach, as well as the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Daytona Beach Shores.

For hotels, Rolex ushers in season of big events

In Daytona Beach Shores, the prospect of a boost from special events that stretch beyond the Rolex and the 500 to include Bike Week in March, Jeep Beach in April and the massive Welcome to Rockville in May are always welcome, said Rob Burnetti, general manager of the 212-room Shores Resort & Spa.

There, rooms are expected to sell out on race day and reach at least 95% occupancy through the rest of the Rolex weekend, powered by group business generated by race teams and sponsors, Burnetti said. Average room rates will be down slightly, by single-digits, compared with a year ago, he said.

“These are all great events,” he said. “They sell everybody out. The struggle for us is the off-season, that’s when things get tougher, when there aren’t any special events.”

That has been particularly true in January, a stretch marked by a string of severe storms that delivered heavy rains and the occasional risk of tornado activity, Burnetti said.

“The weather has been rough. It hasn’t really been beach weather really since New Year’s. Up north, people are iced in, they can’t get out of places like Michigan, New York or even Texas at some points because of what they weather has been doing.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Rolex 24 at Daytona generating big business for Daytona Beach hotels