NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – Downtown Jacksonville hotels will be booked solid during the Republican National Convention, so hotels in Nassau County are getting ready to accept the overflow.
By Friday, hotels and motels in Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach had rooms reserved for August 24 - 27. The Ocean Coast Hotel had already set aside 25 of its 135 rooms.
General Manager David Falor said he’s ready to welcome the extra guests in August.
“I expect that week the hotels should all be sold out up here, because you have the normal business plus the convention business," Falor said. "It should be a very good week.”
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Ocean Coast Hotel has been reopen under the governor’s allowance for almost a month, and it is slowly starting to see business pick back up.
Falor hopes the convention helps make up for some of the revenue lost during spring. He said reps with Visit Jacksonville contacted him, asking him to reserve as many rooms as possible.
News4Jax spoke with Dale Martin, the Fernandina Beach city manager. He said the economic impact will reach further than just lodging.
“We’ve got dozens of exceptional downtown restaurants, restaurants throughout town, city golf course, city marina. I think there will be a lot of private and public beneficiaries to the convention in this area," Martin said.
Visit Jacksonville says there are about 18,000 hotel rooms in Jacksonville with about 2,500 in the downtown area. Estimates show the event could draw 50,000 visitors.