Since being saved from the wrecking ball, the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center (HRCC) has had an overall economic impact pegged at more than 615 million dollars. That’s according to a report from the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, which released those results last week.
25 years ago Norfolk Southern, which then owned the aging hotel, donated it to the Virginia Tech Foundation, which announced plans to not only refurbish the hotel, but to add a conference center. “Naysayers abounded – everyone was skeptical,” said Ray Smoot, who led the Virginia Tech effort. The City of Roanoke was involved as a partner.
Some questioned why a university would be involved with a hotel and conference center but Tech president Timothy Sands said last week that, “I see the connection between the facilities and our role as a university… bringing educational opportunities to all sectors of our society.”
Now 20 years old since its reopening, the Regional Commission put the HRCC’s economic impact at 616 million dollars since 1995. That includes money generated by those who stay over or eat at the hotel itself (managed now by Doubletree), have a wedding or reception there, or book a convention/business meeting. Many of those out of towners make their way to downtown Roanoke’s market area or other parts of the valley, spending money as they eat, shop or visit attractions.
“The Hotel Roanoke is in its truest sense a community development,” said Bob Herbert, who as city manager for Roanoke in the 1990’s helped spearhead the HRCC’s renovation and the addition of a conference center that some thought would not be successful. David Bowers was the mayor then and is the mayor now: “The hotel is part of the iconic view of Roanoke, its part of our very being.”
He recalls meetings in the 90’s where they were warned if nothing was done with the tudor-style hotel it was bound for the wrecking ball – replaced perhaps by a shopping center. Bowers, referring to the hotel as “The Grand Old Lady,” as many do, called it one of the iconic sites as people come through Roanoke on I-581, along with the Taubman Museum and the Mill Mountain Star.
“I’m glad I was there to cut the ribbon,” said Bowers, adding that the city invested over 50 million dollars into the HRCC renovation project, which included realigning Wells Avenue and adding the bridge over the railroad tracks to the city market area. “It was just the perfect package and it all came together.”
Bowers recalls the immediate boost in convention bookings and a calculation that around 60 new local businesses opened after the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center was reborn. “It is an asset to the region in so many ways,” said Beth Doughty, executive director for the Roanoke Regional Partnership when the economic impact report was released.
“Where would Roanoke be without the Hotel Roanoke?” asks Mayor Bowers, “it just wouldn’t be Roanoke. It is an example of [successful] public-private partnership. We put taxpayer money … into this project and the result is a huge rippling effect of economic development.” Bowers also said the report just released may give more credence to investing public money into a private project by showing evidence of a positive payoff.
Based on the numbers released by the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, many others may be asking the same thing – where would Roanoke be, especially downtown, without the Grand Old Lady. The full economic impact report can be viewed online at HotelRoanoke.com.
by Gene Marrano
