Local business score from the PGA Tour’s Barclays golf tournament at the Ridgewood Country Club
AUGUST 23, 2014 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY MELANIE ANZIDEI
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
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* North Jersey hotels, stores, restaurants benefit from event
The PGA Tour’s Barclays golf tournament at the Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus this week is proving to be a sales sweet spot for some North Jersey businesses.
From high-end venues such as the Hilton Woodcliff Lake to food trucks, the tournament, which runs until Sunday, has led to an expected bump in business during a usually slow time of year for the hospitality industry.
The Hilton Woodcliff Lake was the chosen stop for at least four professional golfers, according to hotel general manager John Moorhead, although it is not on the official PGA list of recommended hotels.
“We gave them anonymity,” Moorhead said. To respect the players’ privacy, the hotel accommodated them by placing them in rooms where they could exit the luxury hotel without being noticed. The event has caused the hotel to be more busy than usual, with fans also staying on the 21-acre property. Exact numbers could not be provided at press time.
Other hotels, such as the Crowne Plaza in Paramus, also have seen activity from the tour. According to general manager Maureen Moran, the hotel has been “fortunate enough to have members of the PGA Tour and staff” filling its rooms, as well as golf fans. The Marriott in Saddle Brook has seen a 5 percent increase in occupancy rates with about 50 more guests staying at the hotel, according to front office supervisor Casey Dunbar. La Quinta Inn in Paramus saw as many as 20 percent more customers than usual as a result of the tour, according to hotel manager Pushpa Patel.
Though fans might not have encountered the pros at their hotels, some fans did run into them elsewhere.
The PGA Tour Superstore, a golf retailer in Paramus that has a licensing tie-in with the tour, has enjoyed a Barclays sales boost, not just from fans who’ve come to the store to buy tickets to the tournament, or to meet PGA pros at store events this week, but from tournament players in need of equipment or a club repair. “It’s been a great week,” said Randy Ramsey, general manager of the store. Barclays golfers Graeme McDowell and Brendon Todd appeared at the store this week, signed autographs and participated in putting contests on the store’s putting green.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/boost-from-the-barclays-1.1072400#sthash.TrLaKaOi.dpuf
