Great News: Charleston At Huge Occupancy During PGA; 31% Mark-Up For Privilege Of Scenic Commute!

I am so glad the PGA of America's official PGA Championship twitter account shared the news of huge occupancy rates in Charleston during the 2012 PGA at Kiawah. I know all of the folks who stayed there were overjoyed by Laura Ratcliffe's story.

But just in case:

For the week of Aug. 6, Charleston County hotels were 86.4% occupied with an average room price of $148.62. This represents an increase of 12.3% in occupancy and 30.9% in room prices over the same week last year, according to the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Hey only a 31% mark-up for an event that Golf World's Jim Moriarty wrote was so logistically challenged that the only thing missing from the Fantasy Island PGA "was Herve Villechaize in a tiny tropical suit greeting the daily arrivals yelling, "Da bus! Da bus!"

Comments

[Paboy]

Overcrowding and trafic was not a problem at Rivera

[No Longer Used to be Former Stack & Tilt Convert]

There is never any traffic in LA.

[DTF]

Paboy, I listed to John Maginnes radio show during Riviera and he said it took the like 2 hours 30 minutes to go 4 miles to the hotel or something like that. Were marveling that Phil was all the way back in San Diego before they ever got out of the parking lot. Pretty sure it was Maginnnes....some sort of PGA Tour radio related broadcast anyway!

[Geoff]

Paboy,
No it wasn't, of course that was the last major pre-Tiger.

DTF,
There's a thing called the PGA Championship, and then this group called the PGA Tour plays an event at Riviera in winter time called the Northern Trust Open. Interesting fact, they are actually separate events and separate organizations! And yes, during a winter day when schools let out, it could take a while to get that far on Sunset if one stays due east of the course. Sad, but true.

[NC Phyllis]

Dear lord, we get it. Traffic wasn't great, big deal. Some people commute 2 hours every day, all year and their office isn't the Ocean Course, it's some random and gloomy government building in DC.

Not to mention, talk about a little effort. How many times have we heard some player get roasted for not wanting to travel to Europe (and all the "logistical challenges" that presents to those in the coach class) for another Major championship.

Yes, Kiawah doesn't have an interstate leading up to the clubhouse but you know what: a Major was held and it was spectacular both the venue and the performance.

[Elyse]

ok..u didnt like kiawah...we get it already

kiawah had the best leaderboard going into the final rounds, was a blast to watch rory take on the teeshots...the course looked great and it was the most fun major to watch this year...olympic club was annoying to get in/out of via candlestick park...

[ol Harv]

Still cannot understand why the writers did not stay on the Island, or next door at Seabrook. Both are loaded with condo's and probably cost a little more but seems to be a no brainer. Charleston is an awesome city but it's not where you stay when you're going to Kiawah, especially when 20,000 others are going there as well.

[David]

Kiawah was a neat course, and it should get future majors, but the question of the month is why won't the PGA Championship return to the western states? Does the west have cooties or something?