The amendment would modify the planned building layout and parking configuration related to a proposed Home 2 Suites hotel. However, it is unclear as to when construction would start or how much money would be invested into the property.
But, conversations around the project come as hotel occupancy rates in Clark County have shown steady growth since drastically dropping in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“In terms of the overall climate, our local occupancy rebounded very strongly last year. We had hit an incredible low point in 2020. Towards the end of 2020, we saw some positive signs. When we got into 2021, even with the delta variant and then the omicron variant, (the occupancy rate) continued to move forward,” said Chris Schutte, the vice president of Destination Marketing and Communication for the Greater Springfield Partnership.
By the end of 2020 the total occupancy rate dipped below 50% and the average weekend occupancy rate was 53%.
However, in 2021, there was a total hotel occupancy rate of 65% in Clark County and a 73% occupancy rate for the weekends. Those figures were determined from reports collected throughout the year, said Schutte.
Some lodging is being used as temporary emergency shelter as the county saw a drastic increase in homelessness amid the pandemic. That has caused some of the occupancy rate figures in 2021 to be slightly inflated.
But, Schutte said that those numbers, especially the weekend occupancy rates, seen in 2021, makes Clark County pretty attractive in terms of attracting further hotel development, especially as those rates are on track to continue to increase this year.
Occupancy rates can show a built-in demand for lodging for potential hotel developers. Areas like Clark County attract a lot of business travel as well as visitors related to universities such as Wittenberg or events held at places like the Clark County Fairgrounds.
There have also been efforts in recent years to brand Clark County as a weekend destination and an attractive place for local tourism.
The beginning of the pandemic saw events being cancelled as well as business travel being put on hold. However, as events have come back and travel has resumed, there has been an increase in the local occupancy rates in terms of hotel/motel lodging.
By the Numbers:
98: Number of rooms for the proposed hotel
50%: Hotel occupancy rate in Springfield at end of 2020
65%: Hotel occupancy rate in Springfield at end of 2020
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