Update to an earlier report: This article includes new information about a story we previously covered. Read our earlier report.
Rhino Hospitality Group’s new hotel, The Keystone, was full throughout the SCAD Film Festival week, Toren Anderson said. The group also reported visitors stopping at local businesses to buy something before looking for a spot to watch the red carpet.
Rhino Hospitality represents 12 local businesses, including Chive Sea Bar and Flying Monk Noodle Bar. Anderson described the festival’s appeal as a chance to combine dinner with a red-carpet appearance, saying people could “grab dinner and then go stand and watch Keanu Reeves on the red carpet.”
Mia Mance, executive director of the Savannah Downtown Business Association, said the festival’s impact reaches downtown restaurants, retailers and other businesses, including those on side streets as well as main routes. She called it “economic development in action.”
No overall dollar estimate for the festival’s economic impact was provided.
Yolonda Harris
News Now Georgia
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