New Hotels

[Antrell Williams]

I'll say it doesn't look as tacky as I thought but it could be better. And by better I mean a different tenant.

[richyb83]

A continuation of the "TIF" thread from last week....still hard to comprehend Downtown BR had ZERO hotel rooms from the mid 80's until 2001! Currently Downtown has 5 hotels with approx. 900-hotel rooms...with 283 more possibly on the way by next year?

Belle of Baton Rouge...288 rooms...opened February 2001'...happy new hotel had finally opened; but was not a legit convention center-style hotel...the Atrium addition was nice

Hilton Capitol Center...290 rooms....opened August 2006'...one best things to happen in downtowns revitalization!

Hotel Indigo...93 rooms...opened Feb. 2011...nice complementary hotel to the Hilton across Lafayette Street

Hampton Inn...137 rooms....opened May 2013'...filled a niche for the nearby State Capitol & IBM

Holiday Inn Express...  88 rooms...opened June 2015'...exterior lighting looks nice; still funny looking building(EBRATS) for new hotel

*****In the Works??***

Watermark by Marriott...148 rooms....August 2016'?...BR's original skyscraper(built in 20's/12-floors) better served as residential?

Courtyard by Marriott ....135 rooms..Third quarter of 16' (TIF not approved yet)...liked the idea of new from the ground-up hotel on surface parking lot on Third @ Florida Street

 

Critics say the downtown Baton Rouge hotel market is too overcrowded for expansion

http://theadvocate.com/news/12931496-128/some-apprehensive-about-expanding-downtown

 

 

 

[greg225]

A continuation of the "TIF" thread from last week....still hard to comprehend Downtown BR had ZERO hotel rooms from the mid 80's until 2001! Currently Downtown has 5 hotels with approx. 900-hotel rooms...with 283 more possibly on the way by next year?

Belle of Baton Rouge...288 rooms...opened February 2001'...happy new hotel had finally opened; but was not a legit convention center-style hotel...the Atrium addition was nice

Hilton Capitol Center...290 rooms....opened August 2006'...one best things to happen in downtowns revitalization!

Hotel Indigo...93 rooms...opened Feb. 2011...nice complementary hotel to the Hilton across Lafayette Street

Hampton Inn...137 rooms....opened May 2013'...filled a niche for the nearby State Capitol & IBM

Holiday Inn Express...  88 rooms...opened June 2015'...exterior lighting looks nice; still funny looking building(EBRATS) for new hotel

*****In the Works??***

Watermark by Marriott...148 rooms....August 2016'?...BR's original skyscraper(built in 20's/12-floors) better served as residential?

Courtyard by Marriott ....135 rooms..Third quarter of 16' (TIF not approved yet)...liked the idea of new from the ground-up hotel on surface parking lot on Third @ Florida Street

 

Critics say the downtown Baton Rouge hotel market is too overcrowded for expansion

http://theadvocate.com/news/12931496-128/some-apprehensive-about-expanding-downtown

 

 

 

Downtown goal is 1,000 hotel rooms to turn Baton Rouge into a convention city. The next 2 hotels will put them beyond that number, so this should be it unless River Park is ever built or something else is done with that property. Plus another hotel in the River District is supposed to be built.

Edited July 20, 2015 by greg225

[Mr. Burnham]

But it still needs more attractions and conventions to make 1000 hotel rooms make sense and work. Time for ALIVE and a Convention Center expansion to happen. 

[greg225]

But it still needs more attractions and conventions to make 1000 hotel rooms make sense and work. Time for ALIVE and a Convention Center expansion to happen. 

True, DDD need to start focusing more on Big Ticket attractions. 

[richyb83]

Now they are not even including the Belle in the hotel room number count for downtown bec it's attached to the casino?

Did the Watermark ...only block away  from Courtyard by Marriott.... get a TIF simply bec it's a renovated historic property? Then why didn't the Courtyard get a TIF too? Because it would be a new built from the ground up?

DDD working to keep potential Courtyard Marriott project alive

While the Metro Council dealt a serious blow last month to a Courtyard Marriott planned for downtown, Downtown Development District Executive Director Davis Rhorer says he is continuing to work with the project’s developer, Windsor Aughtry Hotel Group, in hopes of finding a way to keep the 135-room hotel project alive.

At this morning’s monthly meeting of the DDD commissioners, Rhorer said he is in “constant communication” with the South Carolina-based developer and is waiting to see what its executives will decide to do.

The project was potentially scuttled when the Metro Council denied Windsor Aughtry’s request to create a special tax increment financing district to help fund construction of the hotel. Windsor Aughtry has previously said the project is not viable without a TIF. The firm has declined to comment at this time on whether it will move forward.

Rhorer today again reiterated the need for the hotel, citing a KPMG study for the River Center showing Baton Rouge should have between 1,200 and 1,400 downtown hotel rooms in order for the River Center to be effective. The Courtyard Marriott would put Baton Rouge at 1,179 rooms.

However, Rhorer said the 288-room Belle of Baton Rouge hotel should not be factored into the total room count because it is a casino hotel and therefore would not be directly competing with the Courtyard Marriott.

“When you take out the Belle you have fewer than 1,000 rooms downtown,” he said.

Currently, downtown has 895 hotel rooms. Construction is under way on a 148-room Autograph hotel, the Watermark.

—Stephanie Riegel

https://www.businessreport.com/article/ddd-working-keep-potential-courtyard-marriott-project-alive

 

[greg225]

Now they are not even including the Belle in the hotel room number count for downtown bec it's attached to the casino?

Did the Watermark ...only block away  from Courtyard by Marriott.... get a TIF simply bec it's a renovated historic property? Then why didn't the Courtyard get a TIF too? Because it would be a new built from the ground up?

DDD working to keep potential Courtyard Marriott project alive

While the Metro Council dealt a serious blow last month to a Courtyard Marriott planned for downtown, Downtown Development District Executive Director Davis Rhorer says he is continuing to work with the project’s developer, Windsor Aughtry Hotel Group, in hopes of finding a way to keep the 135-room hotel project alive.

At this morning’s monthly meeting of the DDD commissioners, Rhorer said he is in “constant communication” with the South Carolina-based developer and is waiting to see what its executives will decide to do.

The project was potentially scuttled when the Metro Council denied Windsor Aughtry’s request to create a special tax increment financing district to help fund construction of the hotel. Windsor Aughtry has previously said the project is not viable without a TIF. The firm has declined to comment at this time on whether it will move forward.

Rhorer today again reiterated the need for the hotel, citing a KPMG study for the River Center showing Baton Rouge should have between 1,200 and 1,400 downtown hotel rooms in order for the River Center to be effective. The Courtyard Marriott would put Baton Rouge at 1,179 rooms.

However, Rhorer said the 288-room Belle of Baton Rouge hotel should not be factored into the total room count because it is a casino hotel and therefore would not be directly competing with the Courtyard Marriott.

“When you take out the Belle you have fewer than 1,000 rooms downtown,” he said.

Currently, downtown has 895 hotel rooms. Construction is under way on a 148-room Autograph hotel, the Watermark.

—Stephanie Riegel

https://www.businessreport.com/article/ddd-working-keep-potential-courtyard-marriott-project-alive

 

Rhorer must be smoking something Belle of BR Casino hotel should count. Hotel is hotel don't matter what is attached to it.

Edited August 12, 2015 by greg225

[dan326]

Lol, that is weird. My guess is they say it doesn't count because its not branded by a national company.

[cajun]

Lol, that is weird. My guess is they say it doesn't count because its not branded by a national company.

That may be part of it.  It seemed very poorly run as a Shereton and I imagine it has only gotten worse without the Starwood loyalty program or a parent company to answer too.   Surprised they didn't try to obtain one of the independent group brands like Best Western.     

I imagine that it's still a crappy hotel that downtown leaders would rather not mention in their literature.   It's a solid location and it seems to have fairly modern bones that would be suitable for a well-run moderately priced hotel, such as a Springhill or Four Points.  

That Autograph hotel is going to be an amazing addition to Baton Rouge, and I think a the Courtyard by Mariott would also do well (although it may be worth considering a full service Mariott flag).  I think the IHG property (Indigo) is very nice as well.  

Also have to remember that the massive 22 story Mariott on College is going through a much needed renovation.  It's maybe 15-20 minutes from downtown in normal AM traffic. 

Edited October 2, 2015 by cajun

[greg225]

‘The Brief’: Does Baton Rouge need more downtown hotels?  

Years ago, Baton Rouge’s city planners set a goal of having 1,000 hotel rooms available downtown as part of a larger redevelopment effort to make the city more competitive for tourism and conventions.

As Business Report details in its latest installment in “The Brief,” that goal is now within reach. However, statistics suggest the market can’t sustain much more growth.

Take a look at Little Rock, Arkansas, another capital city with a population similar to Baton Rouge’s. Downtown Little Rock, like downtown Baton Rouge, has undergone billions of dollars worth of redevelopment, including growth in its hotel market. As of 2015, downtown Little Rock had eight hotels and 1,482 rooms, with an occupancy rate of 73.2% and an average daily room rate of $127.10, according to the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau and STR Inc.

Baton Rouge’s 896 downtown hotel rooms have an occupancy rate of about 66% and the average daily room rate is only $86—both well below Little Rock’s rate.

In just two years, downtown Little Rock added 223 rooms and has experienced 15% growth in its core hotel market. In the past two years, Baton Rouge has added 225 rooms downtown, yet room rates have remained relatively stagnant—below the state average and 25% below the national average.

Despite the low performance, hotels keep coming to downtown Baton Rouge. The Watermark Baton Rouge, which is under development at 150 N. Third St., will add another 148 upscale hotel rooms and put Baton Rouge past its original goal, to 1,044 total rooms downtown.

As city leaders grapple over whether to take up once more a proposed tax increment finance district that could clear the way for yet another hotel with 135 more rooms, their primary focus has been on whether they should build more hotels. But have they been asking the wrong question all along? Should the question instead be what to build, instead of where to build it?

See the latest “Brief” video installment.    https://www.businessreport.com/article/brief-baton-rouge-need-downtown-hotels           

   

 

Edited October 6, 2015 by greg225

[cajun]

The current hotel owners and operators are spinning this very hard.   

You don't invest in an area based on the past....you do so anticipating the future.  Marriott and hotel developers clearly think that there is a demand for hotel rooms currently and that market will grow.  They city offered TIFs to hotel developers already....making them hypocrites for not offering it to this one.  

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting the video....though both cities are State Capitols & similar Metro population #'s....there are some different circumstances with BR & Little Rock too...

Have said before the Watermark should be converted into residential apartments/condo's...& we are blue in the face here on UP about more entertainment options instead all of the bars.

Agreed...Courtyard by Marriott at Third & Florida needs to happen....

Wonder if the vacancy numbers are hurt some by the unnecessary new Holiday Inn Express at the old EBRATS Building...forget building something new from the ground up...get a so-called "historic" property & redevelop it into a hotel no matter what it looks like   Thing should have been a revamped office space

 

Edited October 7, 2015 by richyb83

[cajun]

I think the Watermark is going to be a great project.  I'd hate to see it not happen.   That's the Autograph Marriott property, right?

I agree that EBRATS would have been more appropriate as an office building or even a tear down/rebuild into a new residential project.

[Mr. Burnham]

Just going to throw this out there: 

In order to sustain the cities hotels, the city needs more attractions and convention space. Like Disney is currently doing with their massive hotel room inventory (they are turning even whole resorts in to Disney Vaction Clubs), if occupancy rates continue to stay at the 60% mark after new additions then some of those properties need to be converted to office space and housing. 

As for additions I suggest the following: 

• Purchase the Belle of Baton Rouge and expand the convention center up to the interstate. Add a River Center hotel and office space there, but also expand the number of convention space. Renovate the arena to become a real functioning arena capable of hosting more people, more concerts, and more events. Make it the premier convention space in the state, and one of the best in the regions.
• Renovate the Arts and Science Museum into the Louisiana Museum of the Sciences and expand its offerings. Potentially renovate the buildings exterior to make it more grand for both its front and back. 
• Construct an Aquarium or Aquarium like attraction where ALIVE was supposed to be. 
• Construct a Museum of African American Heritage 
• Construct the Louisiana Museum of Art
• Build a better downtown library
• Build a much better city hall and expand the town square, make a sculpture park in Repetance Park.
• Construct the Louisiana Museum of Film
• Transform the block the post office is on into The Commons, a large business and commercial property. 
• Construct two new theaters along Lafayette street
• Construct a movie theater on third street

Too bad none of this will happen. 

[greg225]

Courtyard Marriott developers to try again for TIF for downtown Baton Rouge hotel    

The developers hoping to build a Courtyard Marriott at the corner of Third and Florida streets in downtown Baton Rouge are again asking the Metro Council for a special tax incentive to help finance their planned 135-room hotel.

South Carolina-based Windsor Aughtry Hotel Group and their local partners Gordon Leblanc and Moffett Leblanc Strain are seeking approval from the council to use tax increment financing, or a TIF, to help cover construction costs of the $22-million hotel. Specifically, the developers are asking for a two-cent TIF that will generate an estimated $700,000 per year in city tax revenues, $100,000 of which will be rebated back to the developers.

They will also ask the council for the authority to levy an additional two-cent sales tax on rooms and goods at their hotel, as other hotels have done. Both taxes will expire after 20 years. Unlike some other downtown hotels, the Courtyard developers are not seeking tax incentives from the state. Because their project would be new construction, rather than a renovation of a historic building, developers will not qualify for the property tax relief that has been given to the developers of several other downtown hotels.

An attorney for the developers are filing the TIF measure with the Metro Council administrator’s office this morning and it will be introduced at the council’s meeting on Wednesday. It will not come up for consideration and a public hearing until the Oct. 28 meeting.

In July the Metro Council rejected by a 5-4 vote a nearly identical TIF measure, questioning the need for more downtown hotel rooms and the wisdom of creating more tax incentives to finance them. In the months since, however, the developers have met individually with Metro Council members to make a case for their project and the TIF. They’ve also gotten support from other downtown business owners and city administrators. Among their arguments:

• The market isn’t as soft as previously suggested, particularly when you measure the performance of the six or seven specific hotels against which the Courtyard will be directly competing.
• Downtown needs at least 1,200 to 1,400 hotel rooms to grow its convention business, according to a recently resurrected 2004 study.
• The project will create 50 jobs and produce $800,000 a year in tax revenues.
• Every other downtown hotel was financed in part by some sort of tax incentive. The Courtyard project was promised help, too, when it was first announced so it’s not fair to change the rules in mid stream.

“After our two months of meetings, we were met with enthusiasm and support from council members, local businesses and most downtown hoteliers,” says Bill Fayssoux, project manager with Windsor Aughtry. “It is the goal of the development team to move forward in reintroducing the TIF at this time to ensure an early first quarter construction start date.”

The TIF needs seven votes on the council to pass. Though it’s impossible to say for sure whether the votes are there this time around, the developers have previously said they would not reintroduce the measure without the necessary commitments of support.

“We are grateful to have had an opportunity to meet with each council member and provide additional accurate information about our project,” Fayssoux says.    https://www.businessreport.com/article/courtyard-marriott-developers-try-tif-downtown-baton-rouge-hotel

[richyb83]

I HAVE TRIED MULTIPLE TIMES TO MAKE POST HERE WITH 3 PICS.LAST NIGHT & TODAY....IT WILL NOT LET ME!!!   YEAH I'M MAD!!!!!!! Got to step away from this computer crap!!   WHAT IS UP???  MY COMPUTER??? THE UP WEBSITE???

[dan326]

∆LOL!! Sorry... It think you just paste the image URL in the box and it'll automatically pull up the picture. I think you can also right-click copy and paste or drag a picture into the editor.

[richyb83]

Thanks Dan....this is one...gotta get the other two...just testing...trying to do some w/o URL's

OH Yeah..hope this 135-room Hotel on the Third Street parking lot at Florida

Good ideas Mr Bernham...will try more later...when i had typed some sentences

Edited October 9, 2015 by richyb83

[greg225]

Multiple council members who previously voted against TIF for downtown hotel now say they’ll support it             

Roughly three months after voting down a special tax incentive to help finance construction of a new Courtyard Marriott downtown, the Metro Council will again take up the matter at its meeting Wednesday. Though it’s risky to predict how the council will vote, at least seven members—the simple majority needed to pass the measure—confirm to Daily Report they will definitely or likely support it.

South Carolina-based Windsor Aughtry Hotel Group and its local partners, Gordon LeBlanc and Moffett LeBlanc Strain, are seeking approval from the council to use tax-increment financing, or a TIF, to help cover construction costs of the $22 million hotel. The developers are requesting a two-cent TIF and will also ask the council for the authority to levy an additional two-cent sales tax on rooms and goods at their 135-room hotel. Unlike some other hotels, they are not seeking any tax incentives from the state.

The TIF, which expires after 20 years, is expected to generate $800,000 a year in new taxes, $100,000 of which will be rebated back to the developers.

Several council members who opposed the TIF earlier this year say they changed their minds after meeting with the developers and, particularly, the local partners on the project.

“I had a great conversation with the owners and have a better understanding of it so more than likely I’ll support it,” says Councilwoman Donna Collins-Lewis. “I voted against it last time but now they have reached out to most of us and made their case.”

Council members who have confirmed they will support the TIF include Buddy Amoroso, Joel Boé, John Delgado, C. Denise Marcelle and Tara Wicker. Collins-Lewis and Trae Welch both say they are strongly leaning towards voting yes. Chandler Loupe could not be reached for comment, but previously supported the TIF and is another likely yes vote.

The only definite no vote is expected to come from Ryan Heck, who is philosophically opposed to all TIFs and has said repeatedly he will not support any such measure. Chauna Banks-Daniel and Scott Wilson did not return calls seeking comment as of this morning’s deadline. Ronnie Edwards has been out on extended medical leave. It is unclear whether she will attend Wednesday’s meeting.

The hotel’s developers say they are hopeful but they’re not taking anything for granted at this point.

“We welcome and appreciate the opportunity to appear before the Metro Council on Wednesday,” says Bill Fayssoux, project manager with Windsor Aughtry, which also developed the downtown Hampton Inn. “Over the past five years, we have seen firsthand the revitalization of downtown Baton Rouge and believe that this is only the beginning of the transformation.”

The council convenes at 4 p.m. on the third floor of City Hall, 222 St. Louis St. See the full agenda.   https://www.businessreport.com/article/multiple-council-members-previously-voted-tif-downtown-hotel-now-say-theyll-support

[greg225]

Metro Council OK’s Courtyard Marriott TIF, solid waste fee hike   

Following Wednesday’s Baton Rouge Metro Council meeting, residents will be paying $1 more a month for solid waste and recycling services, a Michigan-based consulting company will begin evaluating medical services at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and a new Courtyard Marriott will move forward downtown.

The council initially voted against raising the solid waste user fee from $19 to $20 at the meeting. But after continued discussion—and a reminder from Chief Administrative Officer William Daniel that recycling in the city-parish would cease after Nov. 1 without the increase—the council passed the item by an 8-3 vote.

The fee is paid parishwide, except by residents of Baker and Zachary, who pay for their own solid waste and recycling services.

The council also approved by a 9-2 vote a $95,000 contract with Health Management Associates to begin a comprehensive study of the medical practices in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux, Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. and Parish Prison Warden Dennis Grimes all asked the council to approve the study, saying it is woefully needed to identify what could be done to improve medical care in the facility.

“We do not have adequate services at that prison to provide for the prison population,” Gautreaux told the council.

The council also approved the creation a special tax increment financing district to help fund the construction of the downtown Courtyard Marriott hotel. The council voted against the district in July, but representatives of the hotel developers—South Carolina-based Windsor Aughtry Company and their local partners Gordon “Skeet” Leblanc and his sister, Moffett Leblanc Strain—met privately with council members since the first vote and convinced more than enough to approve it on the second try. The developers had said the hotel would not be feasible without the TIF.

Ryan Heck was the lone council member to vote against the TIF. Councilwoman Ronnie Edwards was absent. All of the other council members supported the TIF.

The council also approved a $94,327 contract with Pictometry International Corporation to provide aerial photography of the city-parish to update and improve the Geographic Information System mapping data used by city-parish agencies.

A public hearing on the elimination of two Capital Area Transit System routes serving downtown will be held at the council’s Nov. 10 meeting, after the council OK’d introduction of the measure at Wednesday’s meeting.    https://www.businessreport.com/article/metro-council-oks-courtyard-marriott-tif-solid-waste-fee-hike

[greg225]

Courtyard Marriott groundbreaking expected downtown within 120 days; opening pegged for fall 2017     

Now that the Metro Council has approved a special tax incentive for a new Courtyard Marriott at the corner of Florida and Third streets downtown, South Carolina-based developer Windsor Aughtry Hotel Group can begin to move forward with construction of the long-awaited hotel.

That won’t happen overnight, however.

Windsor Aughtry first has to select a contractor and pull permits from the city-parish. Company officials say they hope to break ground in about 120 days, which would put the start of construction in late January. The 135-room hotel is expected to take about 18 months to complete and is scheduled to be open in time for the 2017 football season.

The Metro Council voted 10-1 at its meeting Wednesday to approve a tax increment financing measure to help cover the construction cost of the project, which is expected to be around $20 million. It was an about face for the council, which voted down a near identical TIF proposal for the hotel in July.

Officials with Windsor Aughtry, the firm that also developed the downtown Hampton Inn in 2014, were thrilled with the results of Wednesday’s council action, which they have long said was critical to the development of the hotel.  

“Since opening the Hampton Inn, we’ve seen the continuing revitalization of downtown Baton Rouge,” says Windsor Aughtry project manager Bill Fayssoux. “We are very excited to be a part of this growth.” https://www.businessreport.com/article/courtyard-marriott-groundbreaking-expected-downtown-within-120-days-opening-pegged-fall-2017

[Antrell Williams]

Must have paid them in cash.

[greg225]

Must have paid them in cash.

Probably, I wish they was using the TIF's   to draw more attractions in the Downtown area.

[dan326]

^ "met privately with council members" I thought the same thang, :lol:!! I said nah even in lil Baton Rouge, the officials are making shady deals.

Looking at the picture again, that hotel seems to be pretty slim isifhey'll still have that little space between it and the brown building beside it.

Edited October 30, 2015 by dan326

[Antrell Williams]

Probably, I wish they was using the TIF's   to draw more attractions in the Downtown area.

I would like to see them give tax breaks for small businesses. Get more and more of the storefronts filled with local business would be best.