smittysahoot said

I'm not sure I like the idea of a hotel on campus. I don't know if there are enough visitors to warrant one. To test that idea, I'm interested to see if hotels publish vacancy rates. If so, what are the vacancy rates for the Holiday Inn on Glades? The Fairfield Inn on Airport Road? etc.

Sheerly, the numbers of athletic teams coming in would be a huge populas of guests on a fairly regular basis…you also have to remember the hotels you mention all have marketing agreements with FAU (at least they did when i was in charge of sponsorships, but who knows now)…hotels are BIG business when you add up all the visiting teams we have coming in for all sports…there is but a few down months…

This offering would eliminate the need to send the demand elsewhere and keep all profits (much more) "in house"…that's why they are pushing it…

We also have dining facilities at reduced rates over hotels, and meeting rooms to offer the teams - again keeping all proceeds in house…they could be right there, could walk to and from their daily demand points, and would not even have to have transportation during their stays unless they wanted to take a drive to the beach, etc…

No to mention the family and friends coming in…and guest lecturers, and prospective students touring the University during periods of orientation, etc…

Would make zero sense not to have one in the long term strategic plan for the University?

But, it doesn't need to be a "big" hotel…just adequate…

I see all of your points, F_O. But I'd be interested in the projected numbers.

I would venture to guess that a hotel on campus couldn't fill more than (an average) of 15 rooms a night with FAU-related folks.

Now if we compete for clients that are non-FAU related… we could be in a whole new ball game.

Between the sports teams, visiting lecturers, potential students, etc… it would make a lot of sense to have either a fully-functional hotel or – at the very least – designated hotel space in the SO building when it becomes the new Student Union (according to the most recent Five Year Capital Improvement Plan, SO is scheduled for a $25 million renovation by 2014 so I assume that's when it would become the new Student Union)

Glades Road is a prime location for a hotel and if we were reasonably priced, we could definitely draw in crowds to our hotel. I'm sure FAU would do loads and loads of analysis before they committed to a room number. And I agree, we probably couldn't fill more than 10-15 rooms on an average night (read: not football season)

Interestingly, there is a Best Western "University Inn" on Federal Highway. Florida_Owl, do you know… are they officially associated with us?

smittysahoot said

I would venture to guess that a hotel on campus couldn't fill more than (an average) of 15 rooms a night with FAU-related folks.

I beg to differ, but respect your stance…

Please let us know if you gain any stats on the project…

owlcountry said

Interestingly, there is a Best Western "University Inn" on Federal Highway. Florida_Owl, do you know… are they officially associated with us?

They have changed ownership at least two times in the last 10 years…

Of note:

Believe this was the "rescue" location for the mercury scare a long while back…when they had to relocate an entire dorm for a period of time…

Couldn't tell you what type of financial relationship they have with FAU at present…….

Not a high class place to be though …who wants to be staying on US1 when you could be on the campus (basis of our dialouge)?  No thanks…

I'll look into studies of on-campus hotels. I don't know if the Holiday Inn in Boca and the Fairfield in on Glades Road would publish their vacancy rates.

But if we look at FAU's event calendar over the last year, NOT ATHLETICS RELATED, I don't think FAU has enough out-of-towners to warrant a 200-room hotel.

Granted… a 100-room hotel would do it's purpose: large enough for visiting athletics teams and small enough to not drop a fortune and not fill the rooms.

any one see the new green construction fences across form the 20th st entrance? whats going there?

FLAtlantic2012 said

any one see the new green construction fences across form the 20th st entrance? whats going there?

The very building that is the subject of this thread.