Baton Rouge hotels nearly full for this weekend’s Garth Brooks concert

Country star Garth Brooks will draw more than 100,000 fans to Tiger Stadium this Saturday, and local hotels are at or near occupancy for the event.

Crowne Plaza is 100% full for the weekend, says general manager Scott Michelet, as the hotel sold out soon after the concert was announced.

This weekend will be on par with Bayou Country Superfest or an LSU home game weekend, he says, in terms of the volume of visitors to the city,

The Renaissance has a few rooms left on Friday but is sold out Saturday night, says general manager Nathaniel Tannehill.

“This is like an Alabama home game,” he says.

The hotel has been at nearly full occupancy the past two weeks as well, Tannehill says, thanks to spring sports and the return of conventions.

“We hope this weekend is a reminder that Baton Rouge is a place to come visit,” he says, “whether it’s for sports or entertainment.”

The concert has generated excitement among the local hospitality industry for a number of months, and Visit Baton Rouge announced a $250,000 investment in the event back in December.

The concert may set a precedent, VBR President and CEO Paul Arrigo says, and when an event like this is successful, future events become more possible. While the concert won’t be the three-day event that Bayou Country Superfest has been in the past, it’s still a major concert that will set records in terms of stadium attendance.

This story originally appeared in an April 26 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.