Raleigh Discusses Building Convention Center Hotel, Expansion

On March 15, the Raleigh City Council discussed putting in a 500-room convention center hotel. There was a Destination Strategic Plan completed in 2018 with JLL Hotels & Hospitality and the Convention and Visitors Bureau that included the creation of the hotel, as well as expansion of the convention center, followed by the city releasing a Request for Interest in 2020. But the plan was abandoned when the pandemic began. Now, they decided to look at it anew.

Assistant City Manager Jim Greene kicked off the meeting reminding the council of the original plan and then introduced Denny Edwards, the president and CEO for the Greater Raleigh CVB, who spoke, followed by Dan Fenton, executive vice president and director of global tourism and destination services for JLL.

Within the presentation, Fenton talked about the lack of hotel rooms close to the convention center in Raleigh, showing a slide that noted that cities like Nashville and Austin have over 4,000 walkable hotel rooms, for example, whereas Raleigh only has 929. He also said the goal is to not only bring in more events to the convention center, but also quality events that lead to hotel room revenue and an increase in the total impact of the event.

The council members asked some questions and made some recommendations, as well as talking about next steps, including finding a developer. Mayor Baldwin emphasized they would like to get started on the project.

To watch the meeting, click here.

To see the agenda, click here.