Wednesday, September 12, 2012
In the only bit of news that could make the Ridpath Hotel even sadder than it already is, Spokane could be getting a shiny new hotel.
But not just any hotel. We're talking 15-stories, 700 rooms and 900 parking spaces on land owned by the quasi-governmental Public Facilities District. The uber-hotel, brought to you by Davenport Hotel renovator/developer Walt Worthy, will be located just south of the INB Performing Arts Center, according to a press release by the PFD.
The average occupancy rate for hotel rooms in downtown Spokane is about 61 percent, according to data provided by Visit Spokane. The proposed new hotel's 700 rooms would be about a 25 percent increase over the number of rooms already downtown.
Cheryl Kilday of Visit Spokane says the new hotel will be an anchor for bringing larger conventions to town. But beware: the number of conventions around the country is declining.
[Also, file this under salted wounds: Worthy earlier this summer passed on the idea of rehabilitating the Ridpath.]
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Tags: walt worthy , public facilities district , city hall eyeball , News , Image