Members of Chatham-Kent Council are hoping that incentives and the need for visitors to have a place to stay will entice hotels and developers to build in the municipality.
In a presentation to council on Monday night, consulting firm CBRE Limited shared its assessment results that validate the lack of licensed accommodation in Chatham-Kent.
“We’ve heard from our friends at Compass Group that the John D. Bradley Centre has not been able to book certain types of functions because of a lack of hotel accommodations,” said Stuart McFadden, Director of Economic Development Services.
McFadden referenced that when events like large hockey tournaments come to Chatham-Kent finding a hotel room is like “trying to find Waldo.”
The purpose of the assessment was to determine the level of market and economic support for a hotel development within Chatham-Kent. CBRE recommended two development areas in their report to council.
Richmond Street in Chatham and along McNaughton Avenue and Wellington Street in Wallaceburg were most likely to be seen as favourable to developers. The report cites their locations relative to Highways 401 and 402 and their amenities like restaurants as strong reasons for these choices.
The report also recommended a hotel that would likely be three to four storeys, and should offer amenities for both business and leisure travelers.
With the findings of the report, Economic Development and Tourism Services will continue to aggressively pursue licensed accommodation operators and investors in the hopes of attracting additional investments in Chatham-Kent.
