Bathurst's hospitality venues are seeing the benefits of the 2000-strong crowd of athletes in town for this week's Hockey NSW Women's Masters State Championship.
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The championship, which commenced yesterday, features 110 teams from across NSW competing against each other over four days.
With the additional numbers of people in town, various local motels and pubs have been experiencing a welcome number of bookings.
The staff at Quality Hotel Bathurst are expecting a busy weekend, with all of their rooms booked out and a majority of them occupied by competitors.
"We're often booked out months in advance for significant sporting events," Quality Hotel Bathurst manager Luke Newman said.
"Depending on the event, we receive bookings as far in advance as seven months."
Mr Newman said the hotel's facilities attract individuals and families alike.
"Our patrons are generally quite friendly, and they seem to enjoy the pool and spa facilities," he said.
"We also include breakfast in our room rates, which attracts a lot of keen sporting families."
Mr Newman said sporting events play a major role in bolstering weekend trade throughout the year.
"Bathurst's accommodation trade is mostly centered around corporate customers, so it's a welcome boost to cater for sporting families on certain weekends," he said.
Knickerbocker Hotel owner Scott Macallister said the venue has received a significant number of bookings for the bistro.
"We had about 60 booked in last night and we're expecting a further 48 tonight," Mr Macallister said.
"If I could, I'd always love to have 50 booked in on a Thursday night."
Mr Macallister said the venue adopts a unique approach to its accommodation facilities in order to keep options open for people travelling through town.
"With the whole town booked out by the hockey visitors, I kept our rooms on hold for various other visitors who may struggle to find accommodation," he said.
Mr Macallister said the championship will provide an additional boost for hospitality venues on the back of the recent Bathurst Winter Festival.
"We've got the infrastructure for it, and it's events like this that allow the town to beat the blues of a cold Bathurst winter," he said.
Acting Bathurst mayor Bobby Bourke said the championship is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the region's sporting facilities.
"The event is a testament to the great sporting facilities that council has invested in over the last few years and it also brings a multitude of benefits to our local economy," Cr Bourke said.
The championship runs until Sunday.
