PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The buzz is at an all-time high as we inch closer to the 2025 NFL Draft.
Hundreds of thousands of fans from across the country are estimated to travel to Titletown to see the future stars of their favorite team.
Initially, there was a lot of interest in fans making a weekend out of the draft, but with just one week to go, many hotels are still seeing vacancies.
AmericInn by Wyndham Green Bay East Manager Chris Kanzelberger said, “There was a good chunk of people that booked as soon as they found out when it was available to book in Green Bay, and pickup has been slow since then.”
Hotel officials say they expected to see an increase in bookings by this point.
“A little stressed. Wishing we would have seen more pickup at this point,” said Kanzelberger. “We do have rooms available. 40+ rooms available, currently.”
Discover Green Bay says because the draft is not a ticketed event, they anticipate hotels will fill up later than they would for a regular Packers game day.
“You have to remember, it is not a ticketed event like a Packers game or a concert. When you are planning to go to a game or a concert, you purchase your ticket to that event and then you go and look for a hotel,” said Meisner. “You know, people can decide to come to this right up until the first day, when they can register on NFL One Pass and attend the event.”
Meisner says Green Bay’s hotel inventory is significantly less than the previous host city of Detroit, and they anticipate in the end, there will be no vacancies.
Discover Green Bay’s Nick Meisner said, “Anecdotally, we heard some folks in Detroit who said they were from an hour away — and this happened in multiple conversations — they saw the weather report and decided, ‘Hey! Let’s go up and check out the draft’ and then they decided to stay overnight.”
Kanzelberger said, “I think a lot of people are deciding on the weather, whether or not they want to stay. Also, it is a free event, so these guests aren’t necessarily spending the money pre-planned.”
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