Organizers address lodging concerns for National Championship Air Races in Roswell
ROSWELL, N.M. (KRQE) – Excitement is building with just months until Roswell hosts thousands at the National Championship Air Races for the first time. But if you're looking for hotels to stay at during your visit, you might come across a message already showing they are sold out.
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For the past six decades, the National Championship Air Races were hosted in Reno, Nevada. Upwards of 85,000 visitors attended the event last year. Roswell's mayor confirmed, the city's lack of lodging is a concern when it comes to hosting tens of thousands of people, but said the support of surrounding cities will help the event take flight.
'We're anticipating a large number of vehicles, a lot of campers, a lot of motor homes, and hotels are getting to be pretty scarce now,' said Mayor Timothy Jennings, City of Roswell.
A quick search for a room shows just how scarce but organizers are confident in their decision to tap Roswell as the hosting city. 'Between the location, the safety, emergency services, and the commitment of the community and the state, those were all in Roswell's favor. But we knew from the beginning that Roswell only had about 2,500 hotel rooms,' said Frederick Telling, CEO for the National Championship Air Races.
Organizers emphasized the event is designed to be regional, 'You can't look at this as a Roswell-only event. You have to look at it as a southeastern New Mexico event. And so, to that extent, we knew from the beginning that housing would be a challenge,' said Telling.
The CEO is encouraging visitors to stay in surrounding towns like Artesia, Carlsbad, Portales, Clovis, or Ruidoso. So far, they're working on providing shuttles to the event from Carlsbad and Artesia. When asked if there's concern over not as many people coming out to the races, because of the extra inconvenience of driving, Telling responded, 'Yes, I'd be an idiot if I looked at you and said I don't have a concern. It's one of many things that keep me awake at night. The reality is we have traditionally had close to 50,000 extraordinarily loyal and supportive fans.'
'People come to see the airplanes, but they come back for the people,' said Telling.
Other efforts to mitigate the shortage in lodging include building upwards of 400 RV spaces for racers, on-site camping options, increasing Airbnb's, and coordinating with rental car companies. 'While it is going to be a challenge for many, I think that at the same time, there's a whole new population who might say, you know, I think I ought to go to Roswell and see what these races are all about,' said Telling.
Organizers said much of the funding for the added infrastructure, like the new grandstands, came from the state, city, and county.
The air races will take place September 10-14. For more information, go to airrace.org.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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