Hotel operators come out against Hampton TIF

The Baton Rouge Lodging Association has come out against plans for a tax increment financing district for the Hampton Inn & Suites proposed for downtown. In a letter sent to Metro Council members, Garrett Kruithof, president of the lodging association, says a TIF isn’t needed to finance the 137-room hotel. “The Association understands the purpose of TIFs and agrees that they may be needed to fund projects in economically depressed areas; however, the Association disagrees that it is needed and further it feels that the negative effects and impact on the lodging industry far outweigh any potential benefits,” the letter says. Members of the lodging association are expected to attend today’s Metro Council meeting to speak out against the TIF, although the item isn’t expected to be voted on until next month. The lodging association says it represents properties that have more than half of the hotel rooms available in Baton Rouge. The association, formerly known as the Baton Rouge Hospitality Management Association, has come out against hotel TIFs in the past, including one for the Renaissance Hotel, now under construction on Bluebonnet Boulevard.