Vancouver businesses are bracing for what some executives say is similar to the boost in business they received during the 2010 Winter Olympics: Pop superstar Taylor Swift is coming to town.

She has a passionately loyal fan base that includes countless so-called Swifties eager to follow the singer across the continent to attend shows despite astronomical ticket prices.

The December 6, 7 and 8 concerts at BC Place will be the final stop on the artist’s Eras Tour, which includes 152 concerts in 22 countries on five continents. It reportedly grossed over $1 billion and is the highest-grossing concert tour of all time.

The Vancouver concerts alone are estimated to have a combined capacity of 163,000 people, and event ticket search engine SeatPick recently calculated that these are the most expensive performances of the entire North American tour. American Swift, at US$4,459 on average.

Swift’s final concert, on Dec. 8, is the most expensive of the three local shows, costing an average of $5,429, or $7,582 per seat, according to SeatPick.

“The numbers they’re putting out there are pretty much right,” said Kingsley Bailey, owner of Vancouver Ticket and Tour Service. BIV.

“The first show on Friday night is not in high demand, but a lot of people who go to the first show may choose to go to the second or third show.”

Business is booming for Bailey, who makes a profit by reselling tickets.

Many potential concert-goers buy tickets from him because he has earned a reputation for reliability over decades in business.

Stories abound of ticket buyers shelling out big bucks on online platforms, such as Facebook Marketplace, and then getting scammed by fraudsters.

“I keep my store address (at 779 Beatty Street) because people want to know they’ll get tickets,” he said.

“They want to know that they are dealing with a physical operator. They want to know that if there is a problem, they can reach the person and get them treatment.

Hotel prices are skyrocketing

The beginning of December tends to be a slow time for Vancouver’s hotel sector.

Restaurants are busy with corporate parties and the start of the holiday season, but hotel occupancy is slow, according to hoteliers and data collectors.

But occupancy skyrocketed the weekend of Swift’s concerts compared to the previous weekend, said Laura Baxter, national director of hotel analytics at CoStar. BIV.

His company, a global provider of real estate data, analytics and news, determined on Nov. 1 that Metro Vancouver’s occupancy rate the weekend before the Vancouver leg of the Eras ​​Tour was:

•53 percent Friday;

•48 percent Saturday; And

•25 percent on Sunday.

On concert weekends, attendance amounts to:

• 80 percent Friday;

•81 percent Saturday; And

•61 percent Sunday.

Downtown Vancouver hotel occupancy rate is much higher the weekend of December 6-8:

•85 percent Friday;

•86 percent Saturday; And

•74 percent Sunday.

Baxter said occupancy on the same dates last year increased by 20 percentage points from November 1. As such, hotels have ample time to fully book.

“There is dynamic pricing based on algorithms and some pretty sophisticated revenue management systems,” Baxter said. “There are also revenue managers who set prices manually. »

Boutique hotels, such as the Opus Hotel and the St. Regis Hotel, tend to set their rates manually.

“Usually on December 6, 7 and 8, we would probably be 35 percent occupied,” said Rob MacDonald, owner of the St. Regis Hotel at 602 Dunsmuir Street.

“That occupancy rate has increased to 100 percent and we have at least doubled the room rates from what we normally charge at this time of year, which is more than double.”

He said his team initially just made the reservations, but then realized they would be able to raise prices significantly.

Global hotel brands sometimes raise prices faster and more steeply.

A room with a king-size bed at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel went on sale in October for $355 per night the weekend before Swift’s concerts, according to data from Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE).

The price for that room then jumped to $1,299 per night on show weekend.

Prices for Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB) have also been climbing, as Vancouverites take advantage of the demand.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in the city in the past,” said Sarah Vallely, general manager of the Opus Hotel, whose hotel has also significantly increased its rates.

“The only thing I can compare it to is the Olympics, and I suspect the FIFA World Cup in 2026 will be quite similar.”

Vallely said she plans to install several Christmas trees in her hotel lobby and have a station where visitors can receive free friendship bracelets and then take selfies with the Christmas trees.

Swift reportedly spent her childhood at Pine Ridge Farm, an 11-acre Christmas tree farm in Reading, Pennsylvania, so Christmas trees are special to many of her fans.

She is also known for wearing friendship bracelets.

Retailers are cashing in on the Swift craze

Who doesn’t love a competition?

That’s what executives at KITS Eyewear (TSX:KITS) thought when they were able to acquire a pair of 200-level seats for one of Swift’s Vancouver concerts.

They ran a promotion where they offered customers who spent at least $50 the chance to get 50 entries to win these tickets, along with a room at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel and a plane ticket from n anywhere in North America – “an all-expenses-paid trip.” in Vancouver,” said Katie Dempsey, Senior Partnerships Manager. BIV.

Dempsey said the contest is a fun way to drive sales and interact with customers.

Other retailers are stocking their shelves with Swift-related products.

Durriya Rehan, owner of Yaletown clothing and accessories boutique Fine Finds, sells sequined dresses like the ones Swift wears on stage.

BC Place prohibits guests from bringing handbags, other than those that are small and clear, to ensure that no prohibited items are brought into them.

That’s why Rehan has stocked up on these kinds of handbags, along with small charms that owners can attach to them. She also sells Christmas tree ornaments with words like “Swifty” written on them.

Customers who can prove they have a ticket to a concert receive a 10 percent discount, Rehan said.

Nearby, Mavi Jeans also gets into the mood.

Arkun Durmaz, the Canadian president of the Istanbul, Turkey-based company, said BIV that its stores normally offer T-shirts with images of cats.

Swift is known to love cats, so the store is increasing its offering of these items.

“We often have six to 10 different cat t-shirts in the store, and we bring in more,” he said. “Normally in December we don’t have any, but we will bring some in December.”

The entire main shopping street in Yaletown is set to become what the Yaletown Business Improvement Association (YBIA) calls TaylorTown for a Dec. 7 event, said its marketing coordinator Victor Hwangbo. BIV.

The YBIA will put up Christmas trees for the event and have seasonal decorations that will last for weeks, he said.

Bars and restaurants attract spectators

With so many Swift fans expected to dine out before or after concerts, restaurants and bars are trying to attract attention with singer-themed drink specials.

Swift’s favorite number is 13 and her favorite cocktail is said to be the French Blonde. The two quiz items inspired Craft Beer Market to offer 13 percent discounts to ticket holders on Swifties French Blonde cocktails at $13.13.

Glowbal Group is hosting $49 brunches and $79 dinners on December 7 and 8, where diners can order Swift-themed cocktails and enjoy a bracelet-making kit to create creations to wear and wear interact with other fans, said owner Emad Yacoub. BIV.

A makeup artist will be on hand to add some spice to the Swifties’ faces, he said. A selfie station and themed decor will also help Swift fans capture lasting memories of the weekend, Yacoub added.

“We’re about to have the windows of our Yaletown Brewing Co. painted with Taylor Swift lyrics and other Taylor Swift material,” said Julie Wigley, chief operating officer of that restaurant’s owner, Mark James Management Ltd.

Her brewery normally offers $5 beer specials at Vancouver Canucks games, and Wigley said she will do the same at Swift’s concerts.

“We’re going to do $5 Taylor Swift dad beers,” she said. “If one of the fathers or guardians is not going to the concert and needs a place to sit and wait, we will offer drink specials for those waiting to pick up their loved ones from the concert,” he said. she declared.

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