Accommodation commitments have been secured for teams, sponsors and media ahead of next year’s World Series racing and the 2017 America’s Cup.

It has also been hinted that cruise ships could be used to provide additional accommodation for visitors.

The hotel room commitments for race teams and sponsors were given during the Island’s successful bid to host the Cup event.

The Bermuda Tourism Authority was involved in the bidding process. Victoria Isley, chief sales and marketing officer for the BTA, explained: “As the official destination marketing organisation, the BTA worked as part of the bid team to secure hotel room block commitments as part of our official bid proposal to the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA). This is quite standard practice with any bid proposal to host major global events.

“As part of that process, we also secured non-gouging agreements from our hotel partners, which ensures that we will provide fair and reasonable rates (that are in line with standard seasonal rates) during the events for organisers, teams, sponsors, media and the public at large.

She added: “The rooms currently reserved are for use of the ACEA and teams, sponsors and media. The BTA will continue to work with the ACEA in the weeks and months to come to fulfil these requirements. The BTA is also working in concert with the ACEA as it relates to additional cruise ship inventory that may be required to accommodate visitors around the events.”

Since the December 2 announcement that Bermuda will host the 35th America’s Cup, hotels have been fielding “many dozens” of enquiries regarding accommodation during the events next year and in 2017. Hoteliers are working on a coordinated approach, and took part of a meeting last week that involved the BTA, ACEA and the ACBDA (America’s Cup Bermuda) group.

Work is under way to create a central booking organisation, which will contact hotels to provide details of room requirements.

Earlier this week a source close to the discussions, who requested anonymity, said: “This is just the beginning. We met to discuss room allocation for both the World Series and the main event in 2017. Everyone is working well together to ensure that we can provide the type of rooms required.”