Region hotel seeking Super Bowl bookings

Merrillville is only about 140 miles from the epicenter of Super Bowl XLVI festivities. And a hotel in the town, the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza, wants people interested in heading to Indianapolis to stay in Northwest Indiana.

The South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority is helping market the Radisson as Super Bowl sleep pad, and tourism chief Spero Bastistatos said there may be an opportunity to net visitors who can't find a place within an hour of Lucas Oil Stadium.

The hotel is offering rates starting at $149 a night between Feb. 2 and Feb. 6. Bookings can be done individually or as a group with no minimum stay requirement. Based on availability, transportation to Indianapolis can be booked as part of a group package, but only for those with hotel stays. The hotel is seeking a group of at least 20 for the transportation.

"Two hours away is not that far," said Batistatos, president and CEO of the tourism agency. "The room rates in Indianapolis are through the roof as one would expect. If there's that kind of demand and it pushes within a 150-mile radius, we are prepared as a destination."

Batistatos said the region would be easily ready to capitalize on tourism and hotel bookings if the Super Bowl were in Chicago. Even if other venues are taking a wait-and-see approach, the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza is being proactive in seeking business.

"Right now, it's anybody's best guess," Batistatos said. "If they spend that much on a ticket, they may be budget conscious on where they stay."