New Orleans prepares for Super Bowl 59, its biggest weekend of the year

New Orleans is preparing for an estimated 125,000 visitors and a presidential visit during the weekend of Super Bowl 59, as the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles at the Caesars Superdome.

Local businesses are ready, and hotel demand is surging.

Tripadvisor said demand for hotel rooms in New Orleans surged 637% this week as fans of the competing NFL teams scurry to find lodging. Interest from travelers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey has increased more than 14 times, and interest from people in Kansas and Missouri is up 8.5 times since the division championship games in the last week of January, the travel site said.

As of Thursday morning, the average hotel room was going for $650 per night, according to Hotels.com, which is owned by Expedia.

Caesars has the spotlight, however. Along with naming rights to the New Orleans Saints’ stadium, where the NFL championship will be played, Caesars also holds lucrative status as the only casino in New Orleans.

The company has rolled out the red carpet with a nearly half-billion-dollar overhaul of what was formerly a Harrah’s-branded property, and it is using the big game to introduce the brand to new customers.

The biggest football game of the year comes just weeks after a New Year’s Day attack that took place in the city’s French Quarter and killed 14 people, putting New Orleans on high alert.

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Security around town is tight. State police, city police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security all have a heavy presence.

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At an NFL briefing on Monday, law enforcement said more than 700 different types of Homeland Security officials will be on the ground during the Super Bowl, and that was before President Donald Trump indicated plans to attend the game.

“I am confident that the safest areas to be in the country this weekend is under the security umbrella our team has put together,” said Cathy Lanier, the NFL’s chief security officer.

Since the Jan. 1 attack in New Orleans, NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Miller said the league has redoubled its safety efforts.

“We added resources, and we feel really good about where we are,” Miller told CNBC.