HOT funds
were below 60% in 2021 and dipped to 54% in 2020. Kunke said Lewisville’s rise in HOT revenue can be attributed to the addi- tion of hotel properties as well as strong visitation for youth sports and ecotour- ism activities, such as the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area. “We’ve added more things for peo- ple to do,” he said. “Our whole area has become more visitor focused, all of North Texas. Also part of it is as hotel rates go up, the hotel revenue goes up.” Like Coppell, Kunke said Lewis- ville is an attractive option for lodging because of its central location in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and prox- imity to major highways. Kunke said guests staying in Lewisville also bene- t from lower hotel rates compared to Dallas or Fort Worth hotels. Lewisville was heavily reliant on business travel prior to the beginning of the pandemic, Kunke said. About 60% of Lewisville’s hotel guests were trav- eling for work. While business travel has not fully recovered, Kunke said the area’s diverse market has helped the revenue rebound. “Before the pandemic, because we’re so reliant on business travel, our hotels were busier during the week than on the weekends. That [has]
located in the city’s hotel district at the Hilton Garden Inn, but there is a desire for more space, Kunke said. The 17,000-square-foot facility can accom- modate up to 840 guests, and the hotel o ers 165 rooms. “We’ve had groups that have wanted to come here and needed more space or needed more hotel rooms under the same roof,” he said. “So a larger convention-focused prop- erty would interest us.” Lewisville’s hotels are also aging. At least 12 out of 23 properties were built in the 1990s, and at least 16 properties are more than 20 years old. City o cials have worked with hote- liers to ensure hotels remain up to date; 14 have undergone renovations within the last decade, and three completed renovations earlier this year. Kunke said he expects occupancy rates to continue to climb as business travel recovers. “We’re already solid in the leisure markets and in the sports markets,” he said. “If it comes back, it’ll push us up in the upper 70s[%], maybe to the 80s[%].”
Coppell Lewisville Hotel occupancy tax, or HOT, is a tax on hotel bookings authorized by Texas law. HOT revenue is used for activities that support tourism and the hotel industry.
HOT funds go to Discover Coppell. Discover Coppell brings people to the city. Visitors stay in hotels and spend money locally,
HOT funds are primarily used for operating the Visitor Information Center, sta ng and activities of Tourism Division, special events and festivals such as marketing initiatives, the public art program and art grants. HOT funds total
43.4% Tourism marketing
42.6% Special events
8.4% Arts support
5.7% Art grants
which goes back into HOT funds. SOURCES: CITY OF COPPELL, CITY OF LEWISVILLE COMMUNITY IMPACT
reversed,” he said. Lewisville’s HOT revenue funds spe- cial events, such as the annual Lewis- ville Western Days and ColorPalooza, the city’s public art program, and art grants, Kunke said. “As there’s more revenue from the hotel tax, there’s more money to use to promote Lewisville,” he said. “Hope- fully it’s a continual cycle. As the rev- enue goes up, we have more to spend; we use that to bring more people, who generate more revenue.” To help encourage additional
revenue, city o cials would like to bring a full-service hotel to Lewisville. A full-service hotel would provide room service, a restaurant, and break- fast, lunch and dinner. The majority of hotels in Lewisville only provide breakfast, Kunke said. While there is a desire for full-service properties in Lewisville, the hotels are expensive to construct, and not many are being built lately, Kunke said. City o cials are also interested in attracting a larger meeting facility. The Lewisville Convention Center is
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
NAPA is your trusted source for automotive parts, accessories & KNOW HOW for your car, truck or SUV.
BRING IN THIS AD FOR A FREE GALLON OF WASHER FLUID
(972) 221-3511 www.napaonline.com/lewisville
Located behind Marisco’s 2000 Restaurant
121
Bellaire Blvd .
35E
1165 S. Stemmons Fwy. #140, Lewisville, TX 75067
17
LEWISVILLE COPPELL EDITION • OCTOBER 2022
Powered by FlippingBook