GWCC Hotel Eyed, 800-1200 Rooms (Atlanta, Stone Mountain: real estate, 2013, hotels)

[joey86]

Georgia World Congress Center hotel eyed - Atlanta Business Chronicle

"The*Georgia World Congress Center*has begun assessing whether to develop a proposed 800- to 1,200-room hotel on its property, GWCC Executive Director*Frank Poe*said at a meeting of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau this morning."

[jsvh]

The hotel could be publicly owned or public/private.

I am opposed to a publicly owned and run hotel. But I can get behind a public / private hotel.

[Ant131531]

Where would it get built? I have a feeling it's going to disappoint.

[CAWjr]

Why not use the space currently occupied by the GA Dome. As much as I am opposed to the new stadium, it doesn't make sense to demolish even more functional space (i.e. the Gold Deck). The GWCC could expand into the footprint of the GA Dome when it is demolished with additional hall space, the hotel, and additional parking.

I think an on-site hotel could be very appealing to convention goers & if Atlanta continues to grow as a convention destination, it makes sense.

I do think that this being a public run hotel would be a bad idea though. I think public/private or full on private would be the better option.

[ATLTJL]

I know from talks at Gwinnett Arena that having an attached hotel to convention space makes an enormous difference.

Of course, GWCC already has the Omni, which is more or less attached. I'm not sure if an additional hotel would necessarily help that much, but it couldn't hurt.

I don't know if you've ever been to a show at GWCC that spills into the Dome, but there is an underground walkway that connects the two...at least there used to be, I haven't used it in over 10 years. So a hotel on the GA Dome footprint could easily be considered an attached hotel if that walkway is preserved.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by jsvh

I am opposed to a publicly owned and run hotel. But I can get behind a public / private hotel.

The State of Georgia operates several very nice hotels and conference centers in various state parks. Usually with something like this, the governmental entity owns the real estate and building and outsources management and operations to a hotel management company.

[CAWjr]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Of course, GWCC already has the Omni, which is more or less attached. I'm not sure if an additional hotel would necessarily help that much, but it couldn't hurt.

The GWCC doesn't "have" the Omni. The Omni is just the closest private hotel to the GWCC. My guess is this hotel proposal is an effort to bring in an additional revenue stream to the GWCC.

[cqholt]

Why not use the space currently occupied by the GA Dome.

That space is set aside as greenspace for tailgating.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

The State of Georgia operates several very nice hotels and conference centers in various state parks. Usually with something like this, the governmental entity owns the real estate and building and outsources management and operations to a hotel management company.

I think something like the Marriott Evergreen at Stone Mountain is fine. But I am not sure what benefit we are getting from have our state tax dollars going to compete with private hotels. What are state run hotels providing that the private market cannot provide better and without needing tax dollars?

[deacongirl]

Downtown does not need more hotel rooms.