ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — The Tampa Bay Rays’ World Series run is bringing more than baseball excitement to the region. Hotels and vacation rental owners say they are seeing an influx of visitors as fans prepare for the series to come to St. Petersburg.
WATCH: Rays’ World Series run brings welcome boost to Tampa Bay hotels, vacation rentals
The boost comes as Tampa International Airport expects more than 78,000 passengers on both Sunday and Monday.
Although the Rays won’t return to Tropicana Field until Monday night, fans from near and far are already heading to Pinellas County.
Liz Holland, General Manager of the Hollander Hotel in St. Petersburg, said the hotel is at capacity beginning Friday and continuing through Wednesday.
“We have some guests, you know, anticipating that there might be a game on Wednesday,” Holland said. “So, they’ve booked ahead through Wednesday, and then some stay over Wednesday, you know, after the game into Thursday as well.”
Holland said that amount of business is unusual for this time of year, which is typically considered the hotel’s offseason.
The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce said Major League Baseball estimates postseason games can generate up to $7 million per game in economic impact for the region.
With some visitors staying for several days, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater said those extended trips are providing an additional boost to local businesses.
"This is only the 2nd time they are this this late in the season," said Brian Lowack, President and CEO of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. "In addition to it being a shoulder season, the games that are in town are on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. So those are softer days for demand, and so this is really a shot in the arm for the businesses in the hotel industry here in St Pete-Clearwater all around the destination."
Vacation rental operators across Pinellas County are reporting a similar boost.
Troy Walset, co-owner of Azul Bay Vacation Rentals, said September and October are traditionally among the slowest months for the vacation rental industry.
“We normally have most of our business January through probably April or May,” Walset said. “This time of year is traditionally much slower. September and October are probably the worst months for vacation rentals.”
The World Series run is changing that, bringing more visitors to the region following two difficult years of rebuilding from the 2024 hurricanes.
“There was so much damage, nothing going on, out on the beaches especially,” Walset said. “People were canceling their trips just because there was nothing to do here.”
Christine Mitchell, co-owner of Azul Bay Vacation Rentals, said the increased demand benefits more than just property owners. More guests can also mean additional work for other tourism-related companies.
“It’s really nice to be able to say, we’ve got all these bookings I need cleanings for now, or I need my handyman going in and doing things, or I need to help them recommend a boat charter or somewhere,” Mitchell said. “You can see that ripple effect happening in the community.”
For Mitchell, the Rays’ World Series appearance also serves as a reminder of how different the community looked two years ago — and how far it has come.
“Just looking at those pictures from the stadium two years ago to now they’re doing a World Series, it’s insane to think about the fact that they were able to overcome such obstacles in just a short period,” Mitchell said.
The Rays will return to play against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday night at Tropicana Field.
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