Maybe Stadium Supporters Didn’t Mean Hartford Hotels. Team’s Preferred Hotel is in Newington.

The first home for the star crossed Hartford Goats approaches. The minor league baseball team will debut at Dunkin’ Donuts Park on the 13th of April, a year later than the controversial stadium proposal anticipated.

The arrival of the Yard Goats, supporters of the expensive proposal in a city hinting at bankruptcy promised, was to bring a golden age to Hartford’s restaurants and hotels, especially hotels. The stadium would be responsible for nearly 24,000 hotel stays a year in Hartford. Embarrassed boosters, and there ought to be plenty of those, may want to revise that number downward. Visiting teams are reported to be making camp not at a Hartford hotel but at the Holiday Inn Express on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington, the only hotel with a link on the official team website.

Yard Goats spokesman Jeff Dooley explains:

“The Yard Goats are partnering with Radisson, Homewood Suites and Hilton in downtown Hartford for team employees, consultants, league officials, players, players’ families and fans.  Due to availability limitations during the week, combined with the maximum rate and standards set by the Eastern League, downtown hotels are unable to accommodate our visiting clubs.”