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Experience Grand Rapids tells Kent County commissioners tourism revenue and rooms sold are ahead of 2024 projections
Summary
Experience Grand Rapids presented 2024–2025 tourism data to the Kent County Finance Committee, reported rooms sold and revenue ahead of projections, and urged continued county funding to support marketing and a possible convention‑focused hotel to sustain growth.
Experience Grand Rapids told the Kent County Board of Commissioners Finance Committee on Monday that the county’s investment in destination marketing has helped the region recover and grow after the pandemic and that rooms sold and revenue in 2025 are tracking above projections.
Doug Small, president of Experience Grand Rapids, said the organization — a 501(c)(6) funded primarily by a county hotel room assessment and supplemented by Kent County, airport and city contributions — represents roughly 11,000 hotel rooms in the county. He said rooms sold and related revenue rebounded strongly after 2022 and that year‑to‑date 2025 revenue is about 3.3% ahead of projections through October.
The presentation framed those metrics as the basis for continued county marketing and sales investment. Small said the industry now gauges success by RevPAR (revenue per available room) as well as occupancy, and that new limited‑service hotel inventory in the county has depressed occupancy rates even as rooms sold and revenue increased.
Commissioners pressed Small on specific operational needs: whether the county needs a traditional visitor center (Small said digital channels and airport/convention information points meet most needs today), whether current hotel supply can support new venues such as an amphitheater (he said typical events are covered but simultaneous large concerts and conventions could strain capacity), and what types of visitors the region attracts (Small said leisure tourism driven by arts, food and outdoor amenities is undercounted and that convention business is growing). He reiterated a long‑standing recommendation for a convention‑oriented hotel with substantial meeting space to allow Grand Rapids to host larger national conventions and to enable concurrent groups.
Small also cited competitive pressures from peer cities that are expanding convention centers and building convention hotels, and recommended continued work to increase air service and seat capacity at Gerald R. Ford International Airport.
The committee did not take any formal action on the presentation. Chair Teal and commissioners thanked Small and noted staff availability for follow‑up questions.
