Hotels, restaurants expected to fill for Bradenton Area Riverwalk Regatta

BRADENTON -- Expect a long line at the bar when Formula 2 powerboat racing comes to Bradenton on Saturday. And if you're looking for somewhere to sleep once the racing and sunlight fade, better be sure you have a room reserved.

With up to 100,000 people expected to be in downtown Bradenton and downtown Palmetto for the weekend racing event, places to eat and spend the night are at a premium. Restaurants and hotels in and near the downtown core are readying for two nights of full houses around the inaugural Bradenton Area Riverwalk Regatta.

"We'll definitely sell out," said Kelly Dixon, director of sales and marketing for the 119-room downtown Bradenton Hampton Inn. "Even last weekend, we still had people calling

in asking about the event."

Tourism officials are expecting the regatta to be a coup for the Bradenton and Palmetto downtowns. A full day of 100 mph boat races, concerts along the Bradenton Riverwalk, food and fireworks, the one-day event is the latest addition to a growing list of marquee days for Manatee County's downtown. Event organizers have been planning the regatta for more than a year.

Elliot Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Tourism Bureau, said new events including the regatta are the best way to make sure visitors and tourists return to the area to patronize local businesses.

Falcione said his organization estimates about 60 percent of those attending the races, concerts and other events associated with the regatta will be from out of town. He expects those visitors will come back for another visit. A study commissioned by the tourism bureau showed that 94 percent of people who visit the area once do return.

But even as a single-day event, the regatta is expected to be a win for the downtowns. Falcione said his group's statistical consultant, Walter Klages of Research Data Services in Tampa, estimates that about $8 million will be spent locally in connection with the regatta. Some of that, Falcione said, will go to hotels and restaurants.

The numbers already have hoteliers looking ahead to next year. The Hampton Inn set aside 30 rooms for regatta reservations, while the other rooms are going to tourists and business guests typical of the hotel's February-March peak season. If demand remains high for regatta rooms, Dixon said all hotel rooms might be set aside for the 2016 event. The peak season room rate at the hotel is $169 a night.

Downtown and near-downtown restaurants are also predicted to be packed. Tarpon Pointe Grill & Tiki Bar on Riverside Drive East will warm up for Saturday's crowd by hosting some of the 25 superboat racers for drinks and hors d'oeuvres Friday night. Kelly Gotha, restaurant event manager, said she's expecting a bigger crowd Saturday, when race fans from the alcohol-free event stop in for food and refreshments.

While the restaurant will be its usual, laid-back self, Gotha said she's sure it won't be a typical Saturday night in February.

"I'm hoping to at least double revenue," she said.

Tarpon Pointe will be one of a number of restaurants serving food on Riverwalk for the regatta.

Event organizers are already at work promoting the regatta to a wider audience. Falcione said the races will be live streamed on the event website bradentongulfislands.com. His hope is the regatta will gain notice in the United Kingdom and central Europe, two areas where Formula 2 boat racing is popular.

He said he believes that online audience will bring at least a few trans-Atlantic visitors to "experience the unique amenities" of the Bradenton area.

Matt M. Johnson, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7027, or on Twitter @MattAtBradenton.

This story was originally published February 2, 2015 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Hotels, restaurants expected to fill for Bradenton Area Riverwalk Regatta ."