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Outside of The Marriott in downtown Tampa
In the greater Tampa Bay region, the COVID-19 pandemic held back the anticipated hotel boom around the big game.
Hoteliers and others in the hospitality industry were ready and waiting to welcome flocks of fans to town when the NFL awarded Tampa Super Bowl 55 back in 2017, but all of that changed with the COVID-19 pandemic.
STR provides market data for the hotel industry worldwide.
The company s director of custom forecasts Brad Reiter said hotel occupancy was around 50 percent in the region in the two weeks leading up to the championship game, before an increase came during the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of Super Bowl weekend.