BY STACIE LETT CAIN

Increased hotel occupancy rates are fueling an increased interest in hotel development in the Statesville area.

Cindy Sutton, executive director of the Statesville Convention & Visitors Bureau, announced the latest development during Monday’s city council meeting.

“We are very pleased to announce that a dual concept Town Place Suites/Spring Hill Suites is slated to break ground in 2025,” Sutton told the council. “That is only one of several hotels interested in opening in the Statesville area.”

The Townplace Suites will be a 1t19-room hotel located off Free Nancy on land the developer purchased from the city. The site is currently being used by the N.C. Department of Transportation and its contractors for the I-40/I-77 project.

In addition, a Home2 Suites, an extended-stay hotel with 96 rooms, is being planned for the area near Hilton Garden Suites. The groundbreaking on that project has yet to be announced.

“We are seeing developers waiting to further plans until they see how the city is going to handle the gateway areas to the city,” Sutton explained. “These areas are so important because developers want to see us contributing to the attraction of tourism to the area.”

Travelers spend an estimated $192,974 per night in the city, totaling over $72 million annually. The city has collected $1.5 million in occupancy taxes in fiscal year 2023-2024.

“We are seeing a $200,000 a year growth, and we expect that growth to continue,” Sutton explained.

The Red Knights International Motorcycle Club held its meeting in Statesville last week, contributing an estimated $500,000 to the local economy. Cycle NC will be visiting the area in early October.

OTHER BUSINESS

In other business:

♦ The council held a public hearing on the 2024 -2025 budget but no one came to speak to it. The council will hold a public meeting on the budget on Tuesday, May 21, at 3:15 p.m. at the Statesville Fitness & Activity Center. The budget will be presented at the early June council meeting for approval.

♦ Council attorney Leah Messick also presented information on a Motion to Reconsider a vote taken earlier by the council on the proposed Briarwood development. The request to reconsider the Briarwood development was timely under state law, she said. The project will come before the council again in June.