County seeks hotel proposals for Gwinnett Center

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By David Wickert

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Gwinnett County is seeking proposals from private firms interested in building a 300-room hotel at Gwinnett Center.

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Jason Getz, jgetz@ajc.com The entrance to the Arena at the Gwinnett Center.

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Though previous efforts to develop a hotel at the Duluth convention and sports facility fell victim to the Great Recession, interest has picked up in recent months, said Lisa Anders, executive director of the Gwinnett Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. She expects two to four firms to submit proposals by the Jan. 20 deadline.

Though the county owns Gwinnett Center, the hotel would be paid for solely with private funds, Anders said.

“The county is not interested in any sort of assistance [for the hotel],” she said. “It’s just not in the cards.”

Gwinnett Center includes a convention center, ballroom complex, a performing arts center and the 13,000-seat Arena at Gwinnett Center. It hosts a variety of athletic events, concerts, conventions and business meetings. It hosts about 600 events a year, drawing 1.2 million visitors.

But convention officials say the lack on an on-site hotel has cost them business, especially for larger conventions. And while Gwinnett Center has about 250 hotel rooms within easy walking distance, that’s far fewer than nearby competitors in Athens, Cobb County and Atlanta.

“We have an outstanding reputation,” Anders said. “But people look at hotel proximity [when choosing convention sites].”

An on-site hotel has been always been part of Gwinnett Center’s long-range plans. Anders said convention officials sought bids more than four years ago and had narrowed prospects down to two hotel companies when the economy tanked, delaying the project.

The on-site hotel wasn’t the only casualty. In 2007 a developer announced plans to build a $30 million, 234-room Embassy Suites hotel nearby at the corner of Sugarloaf Parkway and Satellite Boulevard. That project is still on hold.

Recently, interest in the on-site hotel has perked up. Anders said Gwinnett has had “a lot of serious interest from very well-established hotel development companies.” She said the county solicited formal proposals to “test the waters.”

The Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is seeking a full-service hotel offering food and beverage service, meeting facilities and other amenities. And it wants at least 300 rooms.

Mark Newton, director of the hotel, restaurant and tourism management program at Gwinnett Technical College, said a big, full-service hotel at Gwinnett Center would help the center compete for larger conferences.

“It just makes life so much easier for all attendees,” he said.

Though a sluggish economy has hampered the convention industry, Newton said the new hotel probably would not open for a year and a half to two years.

“What’s the economy going to look like in 2014?” he said. “I hope it’s going to look a lot better than it does now.”