Study Shows 'Strong Demand' For Hotel On Roswell Town Square

ROSWELL, GA -- A feasibility study commissioned by Roswell Inc shows there's a "strong demand" for a hotel catering to the business industry on the city's historic Town Square, the organization said late last week.

This study was funded by Roswell Inc in partnership with Georgia Power and Visit Roswell Georgia, and recommends a 90-room hotel be constructed on the site adjacent to Founders Square, which is where Haigwood Studios is located.

The hotel would be part of a new mixed use development also containing retail, residential and office space.

The study was conducted by The Highland Group, an Atlanta-based hotel consulting firm, and included site analysis, interviews with competitive hoteliers, analysis of competitive hotel data, and interviews with numerous stakeholders in the community – including large employers in Roswell that frequently host business travelers.

“The data from this study confirms what we’ve known for quite some time, that there is a high demand for quality, business-class hotels in Roswell,” said Steve Stroud, executive director of Roswell Inc. “To remain competitive as a business destination, we need to increase the number of quality hotel options available to people doing business in our city.”

Key findings from the study include:

• Business travelers are the primary source of demand at the best quality hotels in Roswell, and there is a very limited supply of acceptable options.
• Doubletree is the market leader in Roswell. When it’s full, business visitors usually choose to stay in Alpharetta rather than in other hotels in Roswell.
• Because business travelers consistently stay in neighboring cities, Roswell is losing tax revenue to neighboring cities that would otherwise be collected by the city.
• Corporate demand in Roswell is projected to increase by an annual average rate of 4.2 percent from 2016 to 2023, reflecting the proposed hotel supply expansion.
• Neighboring cities are increasing hotel options, including six hotels proposed or under construction in Alpharetta.

In addition to serving the business community, this proposed hotel would also have a significant impact on tourism travelers, particularly in the wedding industry.

“Visitors often ask us where they can stay in the historic district and are disappointed when we tell them there isn’t a hotel within walking distance to the square,” said Dotty Etris, executive director of Visit Roswell GA, the city’s tourism program. “We believe getting a hotel in this area is incredibly important to the future of both tourism and economic development in Roswell.”

The next steps for Roswell Inc is to take the data and work with local developers, property owners and hotel operators to attract "the right project for this area," the organization added.

Image via Shutterstock