Council Takes Next Step toward Conference Center
Posted/updated on: September 15, 2016 at 1:10 pm
TYLER — The Tyler City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Tyler and Champ Hospitality to continue work to bring a conference center to Tyler. The conference center will be attached to a private hotel. According to a news release, the proposed brand, per the MOU, is Aloft Hotels by Starwood Suites, a global high-end hotel company with 1,300 locations worldwide. Mayor Martin Heines (pictured) said this will be Aloft’s first presence in Tyler, adding that a new hotel wanting to establish itself in the market is a good sign.
Like the previous letter of intent (LOI), approved by Council on April 27, the MOU is a non-binding agreement that provides additional details as to the responsibilities of each party. The MOU supplements the LOI and further summarizes the terms for construction of improvements as well as the operation of the future hotel conference center, according to the news release. “This step allows us to identify our partners and create a strong framework to meet community goals,” said Joe Champ of Champ Hospitality as quoted in the release.
The conference center’s been in the works since 2011. It will be located on city-owned property adjacent to the new Village at Cumberland Park retail development at Broadway and Loop 49. The City owns 17.97 acres, a portion of which will be leased to the hotel developer for the project. The site will also feature a 3.25 acre lake.
Heines explains that the hotel conference center is a public-private partnership, with the City primarily funding the conference center and private investment constructing the hotel. The proposed conference center hotel is anticipated to generate new hotel occupancy tax income for the City, in addition to new sales tax revenue and property tax income. The hotel will provide around 203 rooms and the conference center will offer 29,000 square feet of meeting space. The conference center will specifically target conferences that attract out of town visitors.
