Glendale LVII: Hotel capacity up since last Super Bowl

In the eight years since it last hosted the Super Bowl, Glendale has added substantially more hotel room capacity in its entertainment district.

By the numbers: Glendale's Sports and Entertainment District at Westgate has added five hotels since 2015, and now totals nearly 1,600 hotel rooms, according to the city.

• There were 1,027 rooms near State Farm Stadium — then known as University of Phoenix Stadium — when the city hosted the Super Bowl in 2015.
• Those numbers don't account for the massive number of people in the Valley who are expected to offer their homes for rent through services like Airbnb and Vrbo.

Why it matters: More hotel rooms in Glendale means more visitors to the big game spend their money locally and not in Phoenix, Scottsdale and other Valley cities.

• "It keeps that revenue here in the city, which has been our goal, which is why we've worked so hard to add more hotel rooms," city manager Kevin Phelps tells Axios Phoenix.

Details: Home2 Suites by Hilton Phoenix Glendale-Westgate opened in 2017, Aloft Glendale at Westgate opened in 2019, Marriott's TownePlace Suites and Tru by Hilton Phoenix Glendale Westgate both opened in 2020, and Holiday Inn Express & Suites opened in 2021.

Zoom out: Glendale has added other amenities that will help keep Super Bowl visitors in the city.

• Desert Diamond Casino, which is technically outside the city limits, expanded in 2020, and BetMGM and the Arizona Cardinals opened a sportsbook at State Farm Stadium in September.

What's next: Phelps says it's realistic to expect that the entertainment district could have as many as 4,000 rooms within three years, so there will be a lot more capacity the next time Glendale hosts the Super Bowl, "which hopefully isn't that far down the road."

• VAI Resort, which is under construction on the south side of the stadium, will add about 1,200 hotel rooms when it's completed later this year or in early 2024, making it Arizona's largest hotel.
• Desert Diamond is also talking about building about 400 hotel rooms, Phelps says.