Centennial staff outlines proposed hotel licensing program after data shows disproportionate calls for service

City staff presented a proposed licensing program for commercial lodging facilities at the Centennial City Council study session on March 18 in Centennial, Colorado. Eric Eddy, assistant city manager, said the program would require all existing and new hotels in Centennial to register with the city and provide contact information, site-safety assessments and basic best-practice standards beginning Jan. 1, 2026, with the calls-for-service (CFS) review mechanic not taking effect until Jan. 1, 2027.

Eddy said the proposal is meant to be collaborative rather than punitive. "This is not intended to be a punitive action on hotels," he told the council, adding the city and the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office would offer site-safety assessments and ongoing data analysis to identified properties.

The recommendation followed a year-long review of calls for service. Staff reported that across 15 hotels in Centennial, deputies recorded about 1,140 CFS during the 12-month analysis period, out of roughly 28,140 calls for service citywide. Viewed two ways, hotels make up about 4% of Centennial's housing-unit equivalent (about 1,700 rooms vs. roughly 42,000 households) but accounted for about 13% of calls for service when treated as…