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County staff and consultants present downtown hotel plan; consultants recommend a 125‑room soft‑branded full‑service hotel and RFP outreach
Summary
Consultants contracted by the county presented a market study for a full‑service downtown hotel and meeting complex. They recommended a roughly 125‑room, soft‑branded upscale hotel with meeting and restaurant space and advised a public RFP or targeted broker outreach to attract developers.
The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners received a market study and conceptual renderings for a proposed downtown hotel and mixed‑use project at the Gillespie Street site on May 18.
Robert Van Garens, president of the Fayetteville‑Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation, summarized the study engagement. RevPAR International presented the market findings and recommended a roughly 125‑room, soft‑branded (example: Tribute or Autograph/Tribute portfolio) full‑service hotel with ballroom/meeting space and a restaurant to support both business and social demand. Consultants said the property could accommodate parking, meeting space for several hundred people in an auditorium/ballroom configuration, and phased mixed‑use components, including potential residential over retail in later phases.
RevPAR recommended a structured outreach to find a development partner: either a focused RFP and targeted marketing deck distributed to a curated list of developers or hiring a broker. The consultant estimated an RFP cycle of roughly two months to prepare materials, 30–50 days for developer responses, and another several weeks to evaluate and shortlist respondents; follow‑up interviews and negotiation with selected developers would follow.
Commissioners asked about brand types and reservation‑system reach (the consultants noted Marriott and Hilton have the largest loyalty pipelines but recommended soft‑brand options that allow local storytelling and manageable development costs). The Tourism Development Authority (TDA) participated in the research and commissioners indicated they expect the TDA to remain involved in subsequent steps.
No action to commit county funds or enter a public‑private partnership was taken at the May 18 meeting; staff indicated proprietary financial details would be provided to commissioners in closed session and recommended an RFP if the board chooses to proceed.
