Rockford could commission a $40,000 market and feasibility study to assess the city’s hotel market, determine if there is demand for additional hotels and, if so, where they ought to be located.
Community & Economic Development Director Sarah Leys said the proposal was in part prompted by the success of the 160-room Embassy Suites by Hilton Rockford Riverfront downtown. Development officials want to analyze the market for additional hotels, especially downtown and near the Chicago Rockford International Airport.
“We have a good number of rooms by the highway, but we do at times get reports that, for certain events, we’re saturated,” Leys said. “And so what do we need to support? What more needs to happen? And then looking around the airport, is there a different opportunity there that we should be thinking about? Will employers need to bring people in? Do we have what they need for capacity?”…