COLUMBUS, Ohio — Whether it's watching the Buckeyes take on Notre Dame's Fighting Irish, a family-friendly day at Obetz Zucchinifest, or enjoying food and dancing at the Columbus Greek festival, there will be something for everyone on Labor Day weekend in Columbus.
"It's great to have all of our hotels and our rental properties filled up in the city. We get over 42 million visits per year and that generates a lot of revenue for our city," said Michelle Wilson, director of visitor experience for Experience Columbus.
The non-stop events from September 2–5, 2022, will certainly keep hotels and restaurants busy. As of Thursday evening, approximately 120 out of 305 hotels in the Columbus area are sold out for Saturday night. This represents a 12% increase in rental bookings compared to five years ago.
Columbus is also Airbnb's top trending US city for travelers, based on most nights booked for the long weekend. Other cities on the list are Raleigh, NC, Tampa, FL, North Kingstown, RI; Jacksonville, FL; Cambridge, MA; San Francisco, CA; Reno, NV; Saint Petersburg, FL, and North Charleston, SC.
Mint House is an Airbnb host with rental properties in over 10 cities, including several across the Capital City.
"This will be our second year selling out for football weekend," said Ben Brown, hospitality manager for Mint House. "All 28 apartments that we manage are booked by our guests."
"We're finding that people just want a little bit more space, a little more privacy, something more unique than just a branded hotel option. And I think that Mint House gives exactly that. We're also in an extremely walkable, up and coming area downtown," Brown said.
Annually, visitors make 42.7 million trips to Greater Columbus for conventions, trade shows, sporting events, and leisure visits, spending $6.6 billion and supporting nearly 75,000 jobs, according to Experience Columbus.