The busted windows of the Hyatt Regency Hotel next to the Superdome served as a reminder to Allstate Sugar Bowl fans of the horror experienced about 16 months ago when Hurricane Katrina ravaged the area. The hotel has yet to re-open, although it will soon begin accepting reservations for the fall. But signs of economic rebirth were evident as legions of LSU and University of Notre Dame fans descended upon the city for the 2007 New Year’s celebration and subsequent Jan. 3 bowl game. The FOX television broadcast of the Sugar Bowl showcased the Superdome and New Orleans in its post-Katrina positive light as the first Sugar Bowl to be played in the Superdome after last season’s game was moved to the Atlanta Georgia Dome. According to TV Guide’s Web site, the Sugar Bowl averaged 14 million viewers and ranked No. 1 in all prime-time Wednesday slots. University of New Orleans Chancellor Tim Ryan oversees the Sugar Bowl-generated income report from UNO’s Hospitality Research Center. Ryan said the data was collected by surveying game attendees and area tourists. Although Ryan said the data will not be complete for a few weeks, he estimates a “direct impact” income in the $60 to $80 million range. The direct-impact income includes hotel, restaurant, merchandise and game revenue. Ryan said many factors influence direct income including quality of teams and whether the Sugar Bowl is the BCS National Championship game. The 2004 Sugar Bowl generated an unusually large $102.4 million when LSU played against the University of Oklahoma for the BCS National Championship. But the 2002 Sugar Bowl, which featured LSU against the University of Illinois, generated an “abnormally low” $44.8 million. Ryan attributes this low figure to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “There were significant travel restrictions,” Ryan said. “People were still a little hesitant to travel.” Ryan said he thinks the 2007 Sugar Bowl income will fall somewhere between the 2002 and 2004 totals, although he speculates it will be closer to the 2004 revenue. But Ryan said the “Katrina effect” is cause for some uncertainty. “My guess is that many used the Sugar Bowl to ‘check up’ on New Orleans,” Ryan said. Superdome Public Relations Spokesman Bill Curl already estimates that the impact will be lasting. “It’s very important to us for a number of reasons,” Curl said. “It reflects upon the fact the Superdome is open for business again. It tells the nation New Orleans is on its way back.” Curl said there was a “give and take” with having the local LSU team play rather than another out-of-state school. He said LSU fans probably had shorter hotel stays but still spent money for other recreational activities. “LSU fans came in and partied and had a good time and spent some money,” he said. Darrius Gray, chairman of the board for the Greater New Orleans Hotel and Lodging Association, estimates a total hotel-room revenue of $10 to $15 million from Jan. 1 – 3. New Orleans hotels were filled to 80 percent occupancy the weekend before the Sugar Bowl, according to Kelly Schultz, vice president of communications for the New Orleans Visitors Bureau. “The Sugar Bowl was strange this year being on a Wednesday night,” Schultz said. “A lot of people couldn’t come in in the middle of the week.” Schultz said “lots of drive-ins from LSU” helped New Orleans business owners have a particularly strong 2007 opening. “For us it was a huge victory and victory for Louisiana,” she said. A.J. Vollmer, Middle Tennessee State University aerospace freshman, attended the Sugar Bowl to cheer for Notre Dame. “On the night of bowl selections my brother bought himself and me a ticket to the Sugar Bowl, because we have always wanted to see Notre Dame play and wanted to see them before Brady Quinn graduated,” Vollmer said. “My brother is a student at [the University of New Orleans] and lives in New Orleans so we stayed in his apartment.” Vollmer said it was his second trip to New Orleans since Katrina, and some progress was evident since his previous visit. “We went to Serrano’s for lunch before the game,” Vollmer said. “I was happy to see that they had the full menu again because the last time I went they only had a limited amount because of Katrina. I noticed that many more things are open now since the last time I came, when almost everything was still closed.”
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