Do you remember the eclipse? Visitors coming here could have influenced the April bed tax increase

On April 8, residents and visitors of Greater Akron witnessed a total solar eclipse. The eclipse drew visitors from across the country to many area festivities, including a teenage citizen scientist who traveled from Missouri to view the eclipse at the Akron Zoo.

In addition to the eclipse festivals themselves, several businesses, such as hotels and local ice cream parlors that made eclipse-themed candies, brought in paying customers.

So, how did the solar eclipse affect the local economy?

Here’s a look at how much motel and hotel taxes increased in April compared to other recent years, as well as feedback from a few local businesses that saw an increase in sales:

Rents and taxes collected by motels and hotels eclipsed last April

The total of taxable rents and lodging taxes collected by Summit County hotels and motels in the month of April was about 14% higher than April 2023 and about 16% higher than 2022, according to recently compiled figures from the Summit County Fiscal Office.

The office collects these totals for entire months rather than per day, said Gerald Testa, Summit County’s deputy fiscal officer.

Testa said he could not say for sure that the jump in taxable rents for April 2024 compared to last April was due to the solar eclipse.

“I would think it had to play a role in it, though,” Testa said. “People love that eclipse.”

These were the taxable rents for the past three Aprils:

• April 2024: $8,276,396.00

• April 2023: $7,088,054.55

• April 2022: $6,921,636.36

This is what the tax office collected in accommodation tax (at 5.5%):

• April 2024: $455,201.78

• April 2023: $389,843.00

• April 2022: $380,690.02

The tax office’s figures apply only to motels and hotels with four or more sleeping rooms and do not include homestays offered through online marketplaces such as Airbnb and HomeAway, Testa said.

The Beacon Journal previously reported that Summit County properties on Airbnb and HomeAway were nearly fully booked a few days before the eclipse.

Testa and Michael Migden, the tax office’s assistant chief of staff, said taxable rents in the summer months are rising higher than what the office saw in April.

They cited possible reasons for more overnight stays in the summer: people visiting attractions such as Cuyahoga Valley National Park and other area parks, Stan Hywet Hall & Garden, Akron RubberDucks games and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Pav’s Creamery’s blue moon cosmic cone landed with customers

Among Pav’s Creamery’s five locations in Summit and Stark counties, the company sold each of its limited-edition Cosmic Cones with a free pair of solar eclipse glasses.

Pav’s sold the cones — each with blue moon ice cream, “solar sprinkles” and a Space Dunk Oreo — in just over a week leading up to and including the day of the solar eclipse, co-owner Nik Pappas said.

Pav’s earned more than $9,000 in gross sales from sales of the cones and distributed 2,485 of the 2,500 eclipse glasses ordered, he said.

“We nailed that pretty much exactly where we thought we would be,” Pappas said.

‘The sun and the moon’ brought Thirsty Dog’s eclipse beer onto the market, says co-owner

Thirsty Dog Brewing Company’s Solar Eclipse Vienna Lager was a big hit in stores, bars and restaurants across Northeast Ohio, said John Najeway, co-owner of Thirsty Dog. He added that his team did extra brewing after the eclipse and restocked supplies Tuesday at the brewery’s taphouse on Grant Street in Akron.

“If the sun and the moon do the marketing for you, we targeted the moon for it,” Najeway said.

He called the beer a “good economic driver” that attracted customers because of the theme and their expectation of solid quality from the 27-year-old Thirsty Dog.

“They knew they were going to get a good liquid, but the memorial part of it was the driving force,” Najeway said. “You couldn’t ask for better marketing.”

For anyone who liked the Solar Eclipse Vienna Lager, Najeway said Thirsty Dog’s Barktoberfest, a Märzen, has some similarities but is “a little maltier.”

Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @pwilliamsOH.

This article originally appeared in Akron Beacon Journal: How the total solar eclipse affected Akron area businesses and economy