The city council wants to get proposals for a new hotel that would be physically connected to the Peoria Civic Center. The Civic Center Authority believes that such a hotel is crucial for the success of the civic center expansion. According to the all-knowing, all-seeing consultants, convention centers “in northern climates” are more successful when they have climate-controlled hotels connected to them. Thus, they’re looking for a hotel that meets this criteria:
- National chain with centralized reservation system
- Minimum 3-4 star Mobil rating
- At least 250 rooms (300 preferred)
- Full-service, including pool, sit-down restaurant, bar and room service
- Facility must be architecturally compatible with Peoria Civic Center
Incidentally, I think that second bullet is funny — I mean, is the minimum 3 or 4 stars? It can’t be both!
The request for proposals originally specified where the hotel would be sited on the Civic Center property, but the council decided to leave the specific location open to developers, so long as the hotel is physically attached somehow.
My take: This is only the latest in a series of proposed “silver bullets” for the success of the Civic Center. What does the Civic Center need to be successful? HRA taxes. A consultant. A renovation. An expansion. A hotel. It never ends! It’s like that old detective show “Columbo” starring Peter Falk. Just when you think you’ve finally gotten rid of them, they turn around and say, “Oh, one more thing….”
We’re always just one more large capital expenditure away from wild success. This hotel is just the latest mirage. They’ll build it, and the Civic Center will continue to operate in the red, and then we’ll hear that there’s just one more thing we need: a new covered parking deck, perhaps, or a private restaurant in the Civic Center proper, or whatever.
I don’t know what the answer is for the Civic Center, but I can tell you that it isn’t more tax money. Why is it that The Mark of the Quad Cities can make a profit for 12 straight years (they had their first losing year in 2005), but Peoria’s Civic Center, which is managed by SMG, can’t ever turn a profit? Is it time for new management?
Yeah, I’ve only been in Peoria for two years and I already don’t understand the Civic Center. Why does the theater have no center aisle? Why isn’t there a theater that local smaller fine-arts groups can afford to rent and can manage to fill? (Like an “upstairs” theater that so many places have.) Why does it need another hotel? Aren’t there enough downtown and aren’t they not full? (And shouldn’t the Mark Twain be forced at gunpoint to paint that facade a different color?) If the Pere is central to Civic Center success, why is it allowed to continue to suck?
And I’m not try to be snarky, because I really love Peoria (and I didn’t grow up here, so it’s true love, not mere sentiment), but who goes to conventions in cities like Peoria and Duluth and Dayton? I mean, aren’t most people aiming for either warm and sunny (Phoenix) or for gambling (Vegas)? I thought that was like 3/4 of the point of conventions. I don’t understand why Peoria aspires to be a “convention city.”
I guess because it brings in non-local dollars, but it seems like a roundabout, tax-expensive way of doing that.
Indianapolis, a midwestern wildly succesful convention city. Granted they were smart enough to build top of the line sports venues in a central part of the country that had none.
Indy used to be a terrible convention city — believe me I went there many times for conventions.
What turned it around was downtown retail (Nordstrom’s) anchoring the circle city mall. It changed the whole nature of Indy’s downtown from being creepy to being populated.
More hotels won’t do it. Downtown retail is massively needed. Unfortunately, we let that go out to 91/150…