The Saints are marching into Florida and blanketing Miami in black and gold. According to Miami hotel owners, more rooms are being sold to New Orleans Saints fans for Super Bowl XLIV, outshining the Colts fans in what some could say is an early upset for Indianapolis.
The Miami Herald reports that most callers seeking local rooms were of the Cajun persuasion. “The callers we’re getting all have Cajun accents,” said Robert Finvarb, who owns four Marriott hotels in Broward and Miami-Dade. “Indianapolis is a dog for Super Bowl.”
While there are still plenty of rooms for the taking, some hotels have dropped their prices in an effort to fill space for the notoriously sold out sports weekend.
According to reports, The W Fort Lauderdale has rented 90 percent of its 466 rooms available for Super Bowl. Prices for the swanky digs start at $699. Usually less-expensive hotels like the Hampton Inn and Courtyard Marriott hotels in Florida are offering nights starting at $329. The Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale only has suites left, and they are going for $2,500 a night. I combed through some hotel sites and the best price I could find for the weekend of Feb. 7 was courtesy of the Best Western in North Miami (about 5 miles from the stadium) — the published rate of $260 is available to seniors or AAA members, then jumps to $290 for everyone else.
Of course, you can always sleep in the car, or call your friend’s third cousin who goes to college in Miami. Or, you can make friends with one the losers from Sunday’s game (they’ll be dressed in blue and white) and share space for the night.