Bills' playoff run drives tourism in Western New York
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Hotels, bars and restaurants are gearing up for another busy weekend as thousands of out-of-town Bills and Ravens fans flock to Western New York for Sunday's AFC divisional matchup.
The Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Buffalo is all booked up for the weekend. General manager Stephen Walsh said they've been taking reservations from Bills and Ravens fans heading into Sunday's game.
"Usually those folks are here for a couple days and they're here to not only see the game, but enjoy the city, the restaurants, everything we have to offer," Walsh said.
Walsh said the Bills' playoff run is driving tourism.
"Definitely gets the word out. We've seen a lot of folks that plan return trips down the road based on their experience when they're here for the games," he said. "That's always nice to see."
Mike Cornblatt, the sales director at Jimmy's Famous Seafood in Baltimore, is bringing five buses full of Ravens fans from Baltimore to Buffalo for Sunday's game. They're excited to tailgate with Bills Mafia and try Buffalo chicken wings.
"We love dealing with the Bills Mafia. I always tell people they're like the nicest fans outside of Ravens fans to deal with, so we're excited about that," Cornblatt said. "Going up to Buffalo is new. We've done trips to New England before, we've done trips to Tampa. This is just new for us and obviously with the biggest game in 20 years now, it merits us going up there."
Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work.