Hospitality Industry Helps Generate $1 Billion in Taxes CHANGING SKYLINE
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Enterprise F1 October 13, 2014 Meet & Eat in Utah INSIDE Meet & Eat Focus Lists Top Utah hotels page F5 Top Salt Lake City restaurants page F6/7 Top Utah meeting faciities page F9/10 Top Utah caterers page F11 Issue Sponsors: CHANGING SKYLINE County to begin weighing options from developers for downtown convention hotel It’s a project that could change the skyline of down- RFPs is Oct. 24. town Salt Lake City and the proverbial landscape for the The selected developer will build, own and manage city’s convention business, and the 800- to 1,000-room the hotel and be eligible for tax rebates approaching $100 convention center hotel project is gearing up for its next million related to the public spaces in the facility. step. Several dozen representatives of real estate develop- Salt Lake County in August issued a request for pro- ers, architects, construction firms and other companies Pages 11-15 posals (RFP) as part of the process to select a developer attended a recent Salt Lake County meeting about the to work with the county on the project, which will be project, and eight indicated they might submit proposals, near the Salt Palace Convention Center and help the city according to The Salt Lake Tribune. attract larger conventions and retain the economic power- house Outdoor Retailer tradeshows. The due date for the see HOTEL pg. F10 Hospitality industry helps generate $1 billion in taxes Utah’s hospitality industry and the “It’s like Utah is being discovered.” about 10 percent from 2012, according state’s reputation as a mecca for out- Utah’s natural treasures mix the to media reports. Local governments door recreation have helped to deliver Rocky Mountains and deserts of the collected about $423 million in tax more than $1 billion in tourist-generat- Southwest, making it an attractive revenue while the state earned about ed tax revenue last year, according to place for visitors and outdoor enthu- $592 million. the state tourism director. siasts, Varela said. “There’s really no Overall, tourists spent $7.5 billion “It’s booming,” Vicki Varela, the other state that has that uncanny combi- in Utah last year. managing director of the Utah Office nation of red rock and snow,” she said. of Tourism, told The Associated Press. Tourism revenues last year grew see TAXES pg. F10 F2 · October 13-19, 2014 · The Enterprise · FOCUS - Meet & Eat in Utah Government shutdown hurt us last year, but things are looking up It has been a year since I posted event was found to have spent hun- participation. This, combined with the ing the many offerings to entice attend- some notes for a “State of the Indus- dreds of thousands of dollars on a Hol- improving economy, will put us on the ees to “stay and play” after their event try” for meetings and conventions. Last lywood set that resembled the bridge road for having one of the best years on has been completed. We are seeing the year was a tough one in our industry. of Star Trek’s Enterprise for a brief skit record at our facility. Short-term book- fruits of those labors with increased This was primarily due to the govern- that was presented at their general ses- ings are up and holiday parties are on visitors to the ski resorts and national ment sequestration that had a sion. the upswing for 2014. parks. direct effect on meetings and I do not doubt that there needed This just not bodes well for us, but Locally, we have been pooling conventions in northern Utah, to be more of an accounting for any city and county. Increased taxes marketing dollars to take advantage of especially those closely situated for tax dollars spent, but the collected for hotels, restaurants and the many programs offered by the Utah within close proximity of Hill first reaction was to cancel all revenues booked in conference cen- Office of Tourism to promote our re- Air Force Base. events, legitimate or not. This ters means less taxes for the individu- gion out of state. For the past two years One of our largest events reaction had a direct effect not als in those cities, counties and the state we have partnered with Visit Ogden that would have taken place in ROSS only on the individual gov- of Utah. Estimates indicate that due to to promote the area in Mesa, Arizona. REEDER September of 2013 was can- ernment employees who were collected taxes from out of state visi- This is due to the direct flights now celled in July due to the U.S furloughed for many hours, tors, the average Utah taxpayer pays available on Allegiant Airlines from government’s tight restrictions on but on our industry as a whole. Lower over $1,000 less taxes a year. Mesa to Ogden and back. We have co- meetings and events held off base. This paychecks resulted in less travel and We recently hosted the Utah Tour- participated with Visit Ogden in attend- one event accounts for nearly 25 per- tighter restrictionsand in fewer or no ism Conference for the Utah Tourism ing regional meetings in the Phoenix/ cent of our total budgeted revenue for meetings. Government contracts were Industry Association here at our facil- Mesa area and participated in sales the Ogden Eccles Conference Center. put on hold and the corporate world ity. During the event we were treated blitzes to get the word out. However, this was not just confined to responded with less travel, fewer meet- with seminars, and general sessions northern Utah, but affected the entire ings and even cancelling employee with noted speakers such as Richard Business is looking up for the fu- country. And all due to the knee-jerk holiday parties. Again, a direct impact Marriott. During the event, the Utah ture and we look forward to 2015 with reaction when it became public that a on our industry. Office of Tourism unveiled new ad- great optimism for our industry. With GSA convention held in the U.S. was Fortunately for us, the U.S. govern- vertising spots that will be hitting the partners like Visit Ogden, the Utah exposed for having their event in a ment took a long hard look at the effect airwaves soon in other states. The ads Tourism Industry Association and the five-star hotel, complete with pictures it had on the foreign countries that do made me swell with pride with all that Utah Office of Tourism, we see a bright of one of the top executives spending business with us and calmer heads pre- Utah has to offer. From the award win- future for all. his leisure moments in one of hotel’s vailed. The major event that was can- ning ski resorts to the national parks, Ross Reeder is the director of sales and top suites in a Jacuzzi with a glass of celled in 2013 was once again held last there is much to see and do in Utah. marketing at the Ogden Eccles Conference champagne in his hand. Another IRS month and we had record turnout and Meetings and conventions are promot- Center. FOCUS - Meet & Eat in Utah · The Enterprise · October 13-19, 2014 · F3 the ONLY CHOICE! Ogden is ready for your next event! Whether you need dining for 1,000 or a meeting for 20, we will make it memorable! Call Your Event Specialist Today! (866) 472-4627 (801) 689-8600 www.OECCutah.com WEDDINGS • CONFERENCES • TRADE SHOWS • SPECIAL EVENTS • CONCERTS • RECEPTIONS • PARTIES F4 · October 13-19, 2014 · The Enterprise · FOCUS - Meet & Eat in Utah You’re seeking a venue that can offer the ultimate in personal and professional service, set in the midst of downtown but not far from a major international airport. Customized technology solutions and flexible, ample meeting space will help deliver that lasting impression you seek.. Take Your Meetings Further - book a meeting at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center by December, 2014 and receive DOUBLE Meeting Planner Points. This offer is not valid for existing groups and may not be combined with other select promotions, offers or discounts. Please contact the sales department for the rules and restrictions . To book at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center, call 801-238-4812 or visit our website at hiltonsaltlakecity.com. FOCUS - Meet & Eat in Utah · The Enterprise · October 13-19, 2014 · F5 Top Hotels in Utah Ranked by Total Number of Guest Rooms # of Meeting Total # of Year Established Rooms Phone Rooms Hotel Name Rate # of Utah Most Recent Standard Amenities Available Address Range Employees Renovation Web Rooms Distance to General Manager Suites Major Airport 801-596-5700 Little America Hotel 850 DND 21 Valet parking, complimentary Wi-Fi, two 1945 500 S. Main St. 838 450 swimming pools including indoor and outdoor, DND saltlake.littleamerica. Salt Lake City 12 DND 7 miles two restaurants, sports bar Ed Box com The Grand America Hotel 801-258-6000 775 DND 35 Restaurant, bar, 24-hour room service, 2001 555 S. Main St. 410 700 indoor pool, outdoor pool, spa, fitness center, DND Salt Lake City grandamerica.com 365 DND 10 miles concierge, step-out balconies with mtn. view Bruce Fery The Cliff Lodge 801-947-8220 500 31 Ski-out/ski-in access, world-class spa, shopping, 1973 $99- 9600 Little Cottonwood Cyn. Rd. 301 Varies 3 restaurants, outdoor swimming pools & hot 2011 1,500 Snowbird snowbird.com 75 29 miles tubs, conference facilities, free valet, fitness Bob Bonar Hilton Salt Lake City Center 801-328-2000 499 19 1984 $109-399 Spencer’s for Steaks and Chops, fitness center, 255 S.