Area to Echo With ‘Cat Calls as Fans File In : Tourism: Followers of Northwestern University are expected to spend as much as $5 million during lively stay.

Normally this time of year, the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel is a fairly tranquil place. Families visiting the grandparents. Die-hard shoppers seeking post-holiday bargains at the mall next door.

But come this afternoon, a pack of about 600 Wildcats will roar into town and transform the Costa Mesa hotel into the Orange County headquarters for Northwestern University fans attending the Rose Bowl. The visitors are scheduled to take about 300 of the Westin’s 390 rooms.

“It’s going to be a lot livelier than usual,” said Bonnie Best, the Westin’s marketing director. “There’s definitely going to be a buzz in the air.”

The Westin is one of seven major hotels in Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and Irvine that plan to welcome thousands of Wildcat fans, mostly from Illinois, with everything from lobby banners in Northwestern purple and white to special banquet tables.

Northwestern followers purchased about 5,000 Rose Bowl tour packages when their long-suffering Big Ten team won a bid to play USC in the prestigious Jan. 1 football game. The visitors are expected to pump as much as $5 million into the local economy during their five-day stay.

Wildcat fans haven’t cheered at a Rose Bowl since 1949.

“This may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them,” said Bill Simmons of the Hyatt Regency Irvine. “So, we want to make it a memorable experience for them.”

To help make it memorable for Wildcat alumni who have rented 300 of their 536 rooms, the Irvine Hyatt is putting on a New Year’s Eve party, scheduled to peak at 10 p.m. (midnight in Illinois), Simmons said.

“That’s when most of their friends in Chicago will be celebrating. Also, they have to board buses around 6 a.m. the next morning for the parade and the game.”

Shops, restaurants and local tourist attractions are also offering specials. Hundreds of local Northwestern fans have already taken advantage of Knott’s Berry Farm’s promotion of half-price admission for people wearing a Wildcat logo, name or insignia. (USC fans are eligible for the price break too, park officials said.)

“People don’t seem that interested in USC,” said Knott’s Berry Farm spokesman Bob Ochsner. “Everyone in the park seems attracted to Northwestern because of the novelty of it.”

The Wildcat hoopla will continue Saturday when 5,000 to 8,000 boosters are expected for a pep rally at Fashion Island. Northwestern’s head coach, Gary Barnett, is scheduled to attend the 4:30 p.m. event.

“It’s a hype to get everyone fired up for the game,” said Rosalind Williams of the Newport Beach Conference & Visitors Center. “Spirits will be running very high.”