Hotel Hub Bloomington Prepping For Busy Super Bowl Weekend
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) -- When one million visitors make a stop in the Twin Cities for Super Bowl weekend, they'll need a place to sleep.
Bloomington has more hotels than any other city in the state, more than Minneapolis and St. Paul combined. Hotel rooms in Bloomington have been booked for months.
But, there are plenty of reasons to visit around that time, whether you're staying there or not.
WCCO shares the work underway to make sure the south metro shines for the Super Bowl.
We caught up with Bloomington's Convention and Visitors Bureau board chair, Jim Saccoman to talk Super Bowl. Saccoman is also General Manager of Embassy Suites.
"When you get off the airplane you'll be in Bloomington. When you hit your first Super Bowl party, there's a very good chance you'll be in Bloomington, and when you tuck yourself in there's a very good chance you'll be in Bloomington," Saccoman said.
"Bloomington, as you know, is well known for a very safe and friendly environment and we want to keep it that way while our guests are here," he added.
Close to 10,000 hotel rooms will house visitors for the days-long celebration leading up to Feb. 4.
"The largest concentration of hotel rooms is right here in Bloomington and that's the entire state," Saccoman said.
Jim Saccoman is also the General Manager of Embassy Suites.
He says the work started four years ago across the city as soon as the NFL selected Minneapolis to host.
To the west on 494, the Sheraton will roll out a special football-focused menu at Lela in January.
Karin Jasnoch is Associate Director of Sales at Sheraton.
"We're going to keep celebrating this beforehand and after," she said.
The hotel may be booked for that weekend but they want people to pop in for dinner or even stay the night in the days leading up to the Super Bowl.
Mall of America has its own plans. All public places outside of stores will have a football flare and Nickelodeon Universe will host a huge party for the 5,000 media members expected.
Bloomington's south loop will also offer up something special for football fans. Bonfires, warm drinks and other hospitality all outside come Super Bowl time.
Security is also a top priority in Bloomington. Officers from different departments will be working in the city to provide extra security at Mall of America and hotels. Super Bowl organizers say it's best to watch for hotel openings that could still be released in the coming weeks. The best availability for rooms will be the early part of the 10-day celebration.