KANSAS CITY METRO (KCTV) – The excitement has been going on all week and is only growing.
Hotels, bars, businesses – everyone is gearing up for Sunday’s AFC title game between the Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
But it’s not just enthusiastic fans. Business is booming for a number of places throughout Kansas City and the metro region. It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the Raphael Hotel, one of downtown KC’s most historic venues, with rooms filling up quickly and even many Bengals fans making the trip for the second year in a row.
The success of the Chiefs has been good for the hotel.
“Thanks to the Chiefs, we’ve been spoiled with some really great Januarys,” said Patrick Joyce, the Raphael’s director of sales. “So that’s been wonderful for the hospitality industry and for us in particular.”
Bars and restaurants have also reaped the benefits and geared up throughout the week.
For Kelly’s in Westport, perhaps the oldest building in Kansas City, they will have more than three times the staff on a typical Sunday. But it’s not just the staff. The bar is ordering more booze, fruit and smoothies to make sure they have enough for the influx of fans.k
For home games, they get a lot of foot traffic before, during, and after the game, from fans in town and from out-of-state rivals. This should be even more fervent for the AFC title game.
“Two or three times the prep, staffing, fruit cutting, stuff like that, than what an average Saturday night would be,” said co-owner Colleen Kelly. “It is also particularly nice that all this takes place during the cold season, which normally has an impact on companies. The snow won’t stop people from cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs.”
In a normal week, Kelly’s will go through 10-20 kegs. About 25 have been ordered for this weekend.
