Thousands of hotel rooms booked up ahead of Taylor Swift's Pittsburgh shows
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Thousands of hotel rooms are booked up with Taylor Swift fans from across the region in anticipation of her concerts on June 16 and 17.
It's expected to be one of the largest events in Downtown Pittsburgh this summer that could potentially put Pittsburgh on the map for even bigger events in the future.
Visit Pittsburgh president and CEO Jared Bachar said there are 18,000 hotel rooms in Allegheny County and 6,000 from the North Shore to Station Square and said it's all about planning ahead.
"If you haven't planned your stay for that weekend, you're going to need to look at a broader area and certainly come in open minded that you're going to have to travel a little bit," Bachar said.
He said any hotels that are available will be a premium.
"The economic impact from these concerts is fantastic for all of our businesses across the Downtown area, but really throughout the entire region," Bachar said.
Taylor Swift is one of 19 mega concerts coming to the city this summer.
"Last year, we worked with the Pirates on doing an economic study for the four concerts that they had at the end of the season, the summer season, and just from those four concerts alone, we measured over $40 million in economic activity," Bachar said.
Bachar said he believes these major concerts will help the city show off that it's more than capable of hosting any event, no matter the size.
"The NFL draft is such a big undertaking that I know Pittsburgh can host. We're going to convince the NFL and everyone else that's involved in that process that Pittsburgh is going to be a great future home for a draft. These kinds of events help us prove that," Bachar said.
Bachar recommends to anyone who plans to be in the city Taylor Swift weekend to plan ahead.
"You need to plan ahead. Certainly for hotel accommodations, but also don't forget your restaurant reservations and anything else that you want to do in the city while you're here," Bachar said.
