While the Metro Council dealt a serious blow last month to a Courtyard Marriott planned for downtown, Downtown Development District Executive Director Davis Rhorer says he is continuing to work with the project’s developer, Windsor Aughtry Hotel Group, in hopes of finding a way to keep the 135-room hotel project alive.
At this morning’s monthly meeting of the DDD commissioners, Rhorer said he is in “constant communication” with the South Carolina-based developer and is waiting to see what its executives will decide to do.
The project was potentially scuttled when the Metro Council denied Windsor Aughtry’s request to create a special tax increment financing district to help fund construction of the hotel. Windsor Aughtry has previously said the project is not viable without a TIF. The firm has declined to comment at this time on whether it will move forward.
Rhorer today again reiterated the need for the hotel, citing a KPMG study for the River Center showing Baton Rouge should have between 1,200 and 1,400 downtown hotel rooms in order for the River Center to be effective. The Courtyard Marriott would put Baton Rouge at 1,179 rooms.
However, Rhorer said the 288-room Belle of Baton Rouge hotel should not be factored into the total room count because it is a casino hotel and therefore would not be directly competing with the Courtyard Marriott.
“When you take out the Belle you have fewer than 1,000 rooms downtown,” he said.
Currently, downtown has 895 hotel rooms. Construction is under way on a 148-room Autograph hotel, the Watermark.
—Stephanie Riegel
