There was an interesting piece over at the West Palm Beach Post wondering if West Palm Beach FL really needs another large hotel. Here is an excerpt:
It’s no secret that the West Palm Beach hotel scene is lacking. There’s nothing in the nearby vicinity to downtown’s supposed biggest draw — Clematis Street and the waterfront. The Hyatt Place, at 295 Lakeview Avenue, is a good 10-to-15 minute walk to Clematis. The Marriott near CityPlace is about the same.
There are several big plans floating around, most notably a proposal to develop a 15-story hotel with premier waterfront views at the Old City Hall site. Then there are talks of converting the Comeau Building into a boutique hotel on the heart of Clematis.
At a time when private financing is tough to come by, the city and county would likely to have to get involved to some extent in these projects – especially the convention center hotel. There’s also the issue of vacancy rates, which hover at around 56 percent countywide. City officials don’t seem overly concerned about this, believing that there is a much bigger market for a four-star hotel around Clematis then a two or three star hotel off I-95.
