The Seward County Visitors Bureau and the Seward County Chamber and Development Partnership are studying whether Seward County needs more lodging opportunities.
They recently hired GSG Hospitality Group of Moberly, Missouri, to conduct a market feasibility study to determine if and how much more lodging is needed in the area. GSG representatives have started contacting Seward County employers, community leaders, event hosts and planners to talk about lodging options and needs.
GSG’s website said the company tries to identify unique qualities of communities to allow them to capture revenues from overnight accommodations, as well as other retail and mixed-use development opportunities.
Jonathan Jank, president and CEO of the SCCDP, said his organization hears from event planners and hosts that more lodging is needed in the county, but the study will provide more focus for the county’s next steps.
Jank said Seward County now has around 100 lodging rooms, but the number fluctuates because it includes air B&Bs, which may be available seasonally or at intervals.
To make Seward County a destination for a larger regional conference, sports tournament or other event, additional options would likely be required, Jank said.
That’s desirable, he said, because when people stay overnight in a community, they are more likely to visit local restaurants and retailers.
Jank said the lodging industry often requires communities to have a Smith Travel Accommodations (STAR) report to assess the availability and demand for hotel, motel or other lodging accommodations. Lodging companies then use that data to secure sites and financing for projects.
But Seward County is not large enough to generate the kind of data a STAR report works on.
The Seward County Visitors Bureau contracted with GSG to conduct the study, which includes demographic, market, financial, and economic overviews of the county, identifying the feasibility of adding lodging options by expanding existing businesses or developing a new hotel on undeveloped land (known as a Greenfield Hotel).
An additional portion of the study looks at traffic around the county, retail analysis within a 20-minute drive and actual and potential retails sales in the area.
Jank said the results may help identify potential partners and financing if there is interest and need for additional lodging options.
It is similar to the housing study the SCCDP conducts every five years but is “hyper focused” on hotels and lodging, Jank said.
The study should be completed in 60 to 90 days and costs around $11,000, plus expenses. Jank said the cost will be covered by LB840 funds designated for community development. Milford and Seward have utilized LB840 to designate additional sales tax funds for community development.
The Seward County Visitors Bureau is an independent organization comprised of volunteers that is funded through the lodging taxes collected here to market Seward County as a destination for tourism.
