The steep growth of the hotel industry in Portland has led to questions about how the city can support so many of them and complaints about their heavy presence.
Quincy Hentzel with the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce says the hotels are continuing to be built for a reason.
“Hotels don’t get built, because people just think it’s a good idea,” said Hentzel. “Like there are market studies that are showing we can withstand more hotels, and there’s demand for more hotels.”
Hentzel says the Portland penninsula had three hotels two decades ago, and now has more than a dozen with short term plans for even more to come.
She says the increasing number of hotels is a positive sign for the city overall.
“To me, that’s a really good sign that our economy is strong, tourism is strong, and we’re still one of those hot destinations for people to come and visit,” Hentzel said.
Hentzel says surrounding cities, such as South Portland, are also seeing a growth in hotels because high prices in Portland during peak times drive tourists to those communities.
The subject of Portland Hotels will be topic of conversation at this Thursday’s Eggs and Issues presentation by the Chamber.
The two hour session is titled “Seriously, Another Hotel?! – Why Hotels are Key to Portland’s Success”
It’ll take place 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM at USM Hannaford Hall, 88 Bedford Street in Portland.
The Portland Regional Chamber’s website has more information. Hentzel encourages walk-ins and emphasizes the value of the event for community members to engage in important discussions.
