Hotels and Airbnb’s booking fast ahead of PGA Championship

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – In three weeks, 60,000 people are expected to fill up Oak Hill for the PGA Championship. So if you’re thinking of booking a last-minute stay at a hotel or Airbnb, you’ll want to act fast.

For example, the Hyatt and Strathallan hotels are full that week. Nearly a thousand short-term rentals are booked as well. Travania Clark is Director of Sales and Marketing for Strathallan and Hyatt. She said their Airbnb (7 on Strath) is renting as a package for four times the price of a normal week.

Eric Loughlin, Guest Experience Specialist with Strathallan said their preparations start a few years in advance.

“So we open reservations by the year,” he said. “I’ve seen a couple of reservations, not PGA people, but they booked last year, exactly on May 10 of last year for May 10 reservations. So, we get them as much as a year in advance.”

Inquiries come from all over the world.

Don Jeffries with Visit Rochester said many residents also rent out their own homes for the week, using Airbnb or Rent Like a Champion. A quick search on the Airbnb app displayed options ranging from $400 to $1,500 a night.

“Breakfast, lunch, dinner, the restaurants, gas stations, the dry cleaners, it has a great path, to helping our local economy,” said Jeffries.

Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE) estimates 6,000 hotel rooms a night will be needed to meet the demand for this week-long event, at an average rate of $350 a night.

I went in-depth on hotel openings, three weeks out from the event.

• Nothing is available to book in the Town of Pittsford.
• The most expensive prices a night are center near the city, and range between $600 to $800.
• More affordable options range from a little under $100 in Wayne County, to nearly $200 in Chili.
• If you’re looking in the $200 range, the closest option I found seems to be Country Inn and Suites by Radisson, on East Henrietta Road in Rochester.

Keep in mind, there’s more than just the PGA that week.

“With the Lilac Festival and with the Jazz Fest coming in June, all of the summer festivals, we kind of are busy all of the time,” said Clark.

The town said it’s a tradition for many residents to rent out their lawn space for cars during the week. You can expect most of those near the course, like on Kilbourn Road.

The PGA Championship runs from May 15 through the 21st.

Clark said the Hyatt is looking forward to launching some new features ahead of summer festivals, including a jazz club to bring international flare. A sushi bar is opening at Strathallan.