Despite the construction of the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in downtown Gainesville, area officials say there is still a need for more hotels in the Gainesville and Hall County area.
Stacey Dickson, the President of Lake Lanier Convention & Visitors Bureau, said that the hotel demand is high in Hall County. However, a lot of the hotel inventory is older and consumer expectations and demands are changing, crossing off about a third of the options. The rest of the hotels left are a mixture of resorts, lake houses and limited-service chain hotels.
"We only have one truly full-service hotel in the county. That's Legacy Lodge at Lake Lanier Islands," Dickson said.
Dickson explains that the hoteliers are doing everything they can to meet the demand. The type of people that usually visit Gainesville are those visiting friends and family. 51% of visitors stay in lodging and hotels. Even during the pandemic, the city saw a rise in visitors. This is because outdoor activities such as camping and hiking were at their highest ever. Gainesville is a hot spot for outdoor activities.
"Camping is up 400%," said Dickson.
Despite the Courtyard coming to downtown Gainesville, Mayor Sam Couvillon says that there is still a need for three more hotels.
"Because we are constantly booked," Mayor Couvillon said in an interview during the Martha Zoller show.
One way to tell the need for more hotels is the occupancy rate according to Dickson. Hall County has been constantly seeing an 80% occupancy rate, even during the pandemic.
