Earlier this month, we released the results of a hotel feasibility study we commissioned for our city, which served to confirm what all of us who live and work in Roswell have known for quite some time – that our community needs to increase our city’s quality hotel options for both business and tourism travelers alike.
Back in the fall of 2016, we hired Atlanta-based hotel consulting firm The Highland Group to conduct the study for us. Over several months, the group completed site analysis throughout the city, interviews with competitive hotels (both in Roswell and in neighboring cities), analysis of competitive hotel data, and interviews with some of our community’s key stakeholders. These included our city’s largest employers, which supply the largest amount of business travelers to our area.
The study concluded there is strong demand in Roswell for a business-friendly hotel in the Historic District. The report recommends a 90-room hotel be developed as part of a new mixed use development on the property adjacent to Founders Square, where Haigwood Studios is located, that would also contain retail, residential and office space.
Below are some of the key findings from the study:
- Business travelers are the primary source of demand at the best quality hotels in Roswell, and there is a very limited supply of acceptable options.
- Doubletree is the market leader in Roswell. When it’s full, business visitors usually choose to stay in Alpharetta rather than in other hotels in Roswell.
- Because business travelers consistently stay in neighboring cities, Roswell is losing tax revenue to neighboring cities that would otherwise be collected by the city.
- Corporate demand in Roswell is projected to increase by an annual average rate of 4.2 percent from 2016 to 2023, reflecting the proposed hotel supply expansion.
- Neighboring cities are increasing hotel options, including six hotels proposed or under construction in Alpharetta.
We believe adding a hotel to this area is essential to the health of our city’s business community and our overall economic competitiveness, which is why the effort is one of our priorities at Roswell Inc.
In addition to supporting our economic strength, we also know its location will help meet the high demand we have from tourism. In particular, this location would be a convenient option for those staying in our city for weddings, with its proximity to numerous event and wedding venues in the Historic District.
“Visitors often ask us where they can stay in the Historic District and are disappointed when we tell them there isn’t a hotel within walking distance to the square,” said Dotty Etris, executive director of Visit Roswell GA, the city’s tourism program. “We believe getting a hotel in this area is incredibly important to the future of both tourism and economic development in Roswell.”
Our next steps at Roswell Inc include taking this data and working in partnership with local developers, property owners and hotel operators to attract the right project for this area.
Read this piece on the Alpharetta-Roswell Herald.