An Indianapolis developer wants to build a four-star hotel in Downtown Evansville and hopes it will stand near the site of a proposed arena.
Browning Investments Inc. announced its plans Monday. An illustration of Browning's proposal shows the hotel connected to a new arena by several other structures, including two that house meeting rooms and exhibit space. A second diagram says the hotel would contain about 260 rooms on seven floors with modern amenities. The main level would contain space for shops.
"The fact that Evansville is considering locating an arena Downtown with a four-star hotel in close proximity - combined with the local casino - will make the city very competitive in the midsize convention market," said Dennis Dye, executive vice president of Browning.
The company also said it would like to serve the fairly large number of companies that have their corporate headquarters in Downtown Evansville. Browning thought a new hotel would stand out from competitors, saying it considers many of the existing hotels in the area outdated.
In another of Browning's diagrams, the proposed complex is shown standing on two blocks, bordered by Locust Street, Walnut Street and Southeast Fifth Street. The land lies across King Boulevard from The Centre and is one of 11 sites a consulting firm said may make a good site for a new arena. The Executive Inn and D-Patrick Ford currently have space there.
Abid Khan, general manager of the Executive Inn, said he has heard from neither Browning nor the city about those possibilities.
"That's news to me," he said.
Erin O'Daniel, a general manager with D-Patrick, said the same.
Earlier this month, members of the Roberts Stadium Advisory Board recommended that any replacement for Roberts Stadium should be built Downtown. They said they could see advantages in having a new arena near The Centre because the stadium likely would help the city attract conventions.
Wayne Henning, president of the advisory board, said he knows of no firm plans to build the stadium on a particular site.
Browning, which has built many office buildings and hotels in Indianapolis, will release more details about its proposal in a news conference at 9 a.m. today at Innovation Pointe, 318 Main St.
Khan said he and others have plans to turn the Executive Inn into a four-star hotel. They are working with a "first-class hotel chain" on that project, he said, declining to elaborate.
Enough business to support hotel
As for Browning's announcement, Khan thinks there is enough business in Evansville to support another hotel, especially if it is built in conjunction with a new arena.
Marilee Fowler, the executive director of the Evansville Convention & Visitors Bureau, said there are about 4,000 hotel rooms in Vanderburgh County. Three hotels in Downtown Evansville - Casino Aztar, the Executive Inn and Le Merigot - contain about 820 of them. During the winter months, guests occupy an average of about 50 percent of those rooms. The number climbs to around 60 percent during the summer, when sports tournaments and similar events take place.
Fowler welcomed the prospect of having a four-star hotel Downtown, saying she thought it would attract more conventions to Evansville.
"If people are traveling on business, their companies are paying their expenses," she said. "They will often get very good rates at high-end hotels. People like the amenities they don't have at home."
Fowler said she believed Le Merigot, a hotel owned by Casino Aztar, could be ranked a four-star hotel but never officially has been looked at by a rating agency.
Mike Jones, the general manager of Aztar, said he too thinks Evansville can support another hotel Downtown.
"It opens some cross-marketing for us bring some additional casino business Downtown," he said.