ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — If you're planning to stay near Highmark Stadium for Thursday night's Buffalo Bills home opener, finding a hotel room could be a challenge.
With the Bills set to host the Detroit Lions in the first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium, hotel demand is surging across Western New York.
A search Tuesday afternoon for hotel rooms from Thursday, Sept. 17 through Saturday, Sept. 19 showed limited availability at hotels near Orchard Park, with some properties already sold out.
And for the rooms that remain, prices can be steep.
A room at the Holiday Inn Express in Hamburg was listed at $447 per night, or more than $1,000 for a two-night stay after taxes and fees.
The Country Inn & Suites in West Seneca was listed at $426 per night, with a two-night total of $969.
Other nearby options were also approaching or exceeding $300 per night.
One of the least expensive options found was the Motel 6 in Hamburg, listed at $202 per night, with only one room remaining at that price, according to a hotel company website.
The search included hotels within roughly six miles of Orchard Park.
The hotel costs come on top of what is already an increasingly expensive trip to a Bills game.
WATCH: Bills home opener driving up hotel demand across Western New York
A recent analysis from The Action Network found that a family of four could spend nearly $2,200 for a Bills game this season when tickets, parking, food and drinks are included.
The analysis estimated four resale tickets at $1,982.80, parking at $132 and food and drinks at $79.15.
That's a 123.7% increase in the cost of four tickets compared with 2018, when Josh Allen became the Bills' starting quarterback.
The Action Network's analysis found that Buffalo had the highest estimated parking cost in the NFL at $132.
Now, for fans traveling from out of town, the hotel can add hundreds or even more than $1,000 to the cost of the trip.
The Bills are expecting a major crowd for Thursday night's 8:15 p.m. kickoff.
The team says all parking lots at Highmark Stadium require an advance parking pass, and parking passes for the stadium lots are already sold out. Additional parking will be available at neighborhood lots, including the former ECC South Campus.
Abbott Road will close six hours before kickoff, while stadium parking lots open four hours before the game.
