![]() ![]() The average daily rate that hotels charged guests last year was $94.20, up from $89.80 the year before and $80.26 in 2009. The occupancy rate for all Columbus-area hotels last year was 63 percent, up from 62.1 percent the year before and 52.6 percent in 2009, according to STR Inc., a hotel-research company. To attract larger meetings, “We’re being told by our potential customers and sales reps that we need a 1,000-room hotel connected to the convention center,” said Brian Ross, CEO of Experience Columbus, the city’s convention and visitors bureau. The 631-room Hyatt Regency opened in 1980, and there were discussions about expanding it as far back as the 1990s. Related story: LeVeque Tower hotel plans to open next year The occupancy rate and average daily rates of city hotels “aren’t yet high enough when you compare Columbus to the markets we compete against in the travel and tourism industry,” Ellis said. ![]() “We’ve looked at (expanding) a number of times over the years, but we’re not presently looking at it,” said Brian Ellis, president of Nationwide Realty Investors, which owns 56 percent of the Hyatt Regency. Observers say the Hyatt Regency needs to add 400 rooms, creating a 1,000-room convention hotel, to accommodate large gatherings such as political conventions. Occupancy rates are good at Columbus hotels - in particular, the convention-focused Hyatt Regency Columbus - but have yet to reach the levels needed to encourage expansion. The more rooms, the bigger the convention the city can handle. Hotel rooms are a critical component in attracting lucrative conventions to a city. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |