Columbia outdoes the rest!
by Rainman on 3/27/19Colonial Life Arena - ColumbiaRating: 4 out of 5Columbia was a really superb venue. People were really friendly and the organizers did a great job in arranging the Convention Center into a greeting area and "entertainment experience" prior to and between the game sessions. The Vista Area offered many and varied entertainment and dining options which were, pleasantly, not overpriced. The games themselves were not entertaining, save for the battle between Duke and Central Florida. Oklahoma-Ole Miss, VCU-Central Florida, and the two 1 Seeds versus 16 Seeds were just plain dull. The NCAA does have to do something about the Price Gouging by the various hotels nearest to the venue - $400/night is just plain ridiculous for any hotel room in Columbia S.C. The hotel we stayed in - the Hyatt Place - offered acceptable accommodations, with pleasant personnel, but it just was not a value for the money. The same is going to be true for the Cleveland area in 2020 as we were shocked by the hotel prices as we booked for next year.
