PANAMA CITY BEACH — The phones at the Bikini Beach Motel in Panama City Beach have been busy in the last few weeks.
“We’re experiencing … a higher volume of calls and reservations than in the past,” motel owner John Gheesling said Tuesday. “The bookings are strong.”
As many college students hunker down in blizzard conditions, the motel is experiencing a flurry of calls and bookings for college Spring Break, which kicks off in about a month.
“I’m anticipating 2015 to be a great year ... not just for Spring Break, but into the summer,” Gheesling said. “We’re ahead for the year over the last couple of years. It’s really looking good.”
Gheesling said he expects bookings to continue ahead of pace as the busiest weeks of Spring Break draw nearer, with the most college students out of class between March 7 and 21, which encompass the second and third weeks of March.
With Bikini Beach located in the heart of the Spring Break activity along Front Beach Road, Gheesling said the motel is happy to cater to breakers, who bring a welcome business boost after the slower winter months.
“The one group that causes damage or causes a ruckus is not a reason to not rent to anybody,” he said, adding that new rules on the beach won’t keep the crowds away this year. “All of the new rules have done nothing to deter these spring breakers. They’re nice kids; they’re just down here to have fun.”
Paul Wohlford, vice president of marketing for the Resort Collection, reported a similar uptick in reservations for March so far. Resort Collection manages several properties on the beach, including popular Spring Break spots Summit Beach Resort and Shores of Panama.
“We had a very strong Spring Break last year, and we cater to the family Spring Break as well as college Spring Break,” Wohlford said, adding that college Spring Break takes place predominately in March. “Right now we’re pacing ahead for March, and we’re about where we were last year in April.”
Easter: With the Easter holiday falling earlier this year — on April 5 — Wohlford said Resort Collection is expecting a strong spring season overall.
“The way Easter moves around, we kind of have to look at March and April combined,” he said. “The year has started off very well, and very strong, with January and February being up over last year. I think you’ll see the same trend through the spring.”
However, not all properties reported above-normal Spring Break bookings.
Mike Bennett, owner of Seahaven Beach Resort, said bookings are about 5 percent behind where they were this time last year.
“It’s starting out a little soft for us,” Bennett said, adding that students usually book later than the typical visitor. “We think a lot of kids are booking later, shopping harder. We’re optimistic that we’ll make it up and have a good year like we did last year.”
As with the properties mentioned above, Seahaven also targets and caters to spring breakers and gives families interested in booking other lodging options if they’re not interested in navigating the crowds of students.
Bennett said he expects “a very watched Spring Break” this year, after a national report highlighted many unsavory elements last year and pushed community leaders toward making changes.
However, Bennett said that by welcoming breakers, businesses are creating “Legacy Customers,” adults who will continue to visit the destination, patronize restaurants and purchase real estate in the future.
“Those in the business of Spring Break are very good at what we do,” he said. “We love it; we go after it. It’s just a tremendous boost for us.”
By the numbers: Estimated number of students on Spring Break in the U.S. & Canada:
- Feb. 14-21: 627,249
- Feb. 21-28: 302,449
- Feb. 28-March 7: 1.18 million
- March 7-14: 2.97 million
- March 14-21: 2.17 million
- March 21-28: 865,365
- March 28-April 4: 166,270
- April 4-10: 169,436
Source: Collegiate Marketing Group