Taylor Swift, Janet Jackson, Oprah: Big names draw record-breaking sales for Nashville

Nashville can’t get enough of Taylor Swift.

For a couple days earlier this month, her concert series helped fill almost every hotel room in the county and set attendance and spending records downtown each night.

Taylor Swift performs at Nissan Stadium in Nashville , Tenn., Friday, May 5, 2023.
Taylor Swift performs at Nissan Stadium in Nashville , Tenn., Friday, May 5, 2023.

In terms of hotel sales, the Music City “Eras Tour” visit was up there with the Kentucky Derby and the Formula One race in Miami, according to tourism-data firm STR.

“The first weekend in May was the perfect storm resulting in record-breaking hotel demand as well as enormous local economic activity,” Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. CEO Butch Spyridon said. “Lots of visitors and locals attended diverse and authentic events from conventions to graduations to Ryman and Bridgestone shows to the massive Taylor Swift three-night stand at Nissan Stadium.”

A room for rent at La Quinta Inn & Suites a few blocks from Nissan Stadium on May 5 was priced at $1,150.

Davidson County hotels collected $37.34 million for room rents May 5-7.

Keynote speaker Oprah Winfrey waves as she arrives for the 2023 Spring commencement ceremony at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, May 6, 2023.
Keynote speaker Oprah Winfrey waves as she arrives for the 2023 Spring commencement ceremony at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, May 6, 2023.

Pop star Janet Jackson and comedian Trevor Noah also drew huge audiences, and 14,000 people attended the Craft Brewers Conference & Brew Expo that week, NCVC said.

Nightly room rates spiked to an (ADR) average of about $570 at downtown hotels on May 5 and 6 during Swift’s first two shows, according to STR. The hotel-data firm recorded a staggering 97.3% downtown hotel occupancy that weekend. Across the larger Nashville region, 94.2% rooms were filled with bookings for an average of $318 per night.

Nationwide, New York led the country with an 85.1% occupancy rate in the week ending May 6, STR said. Nashville was ranked fourth-busiest that week with 76.5% of rooms filled.

Nissan Stadium welcomed more than 70,000 guests at each Taylor Swift performance, which is a record for the NFL stadium, according to NCVC.

During those days, the county collected $2.2 million from its 6% hotel-occupancy tax.

“Taxes collected from visitor spending will provide a significant boost to fund key priorities for the city,” Spyridon said.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Taylor Swift, Janet Jackson, Oprah: Big names draw big Nashville sales

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