[Vision2020] WSU wants to build a Hotel and Conference Center

[Bill London]

here's a WSU news release with the latest plan...WSU wants to build a hotel 
and conference center...near the new golf course?
BL


WSU Invites Developers to Submit Plans for Hotel and Conference Center


>>
>>PULLMAN, Wash.-Washington State University is looking for a private 
>>development company to partner with the university to design, build and 
>>operate a hotel and conference center on the Pullman campus.
>>
>>According to a report by WSU's School of Economic Sciences, a wired 
>>lecture hall or amphitheater, smaller breakout rooms, convenient dining 
>>and comfortable rooms --- the basics of most conference centers --- would 
>>allow Pullman to host hundreds of conferences and annual meetings that are 
>>now lost to more urban areas.
>>
>>"We are talking about bringing in another level of activity that we don't 
>>have now," said Gerald Schlatter, associate vice president of Capital 
>>Planning and Development.
>>
>>There is no facility in Pullman that works well for a two- or three-day 
>>conference with 50 to 200 people, he said. Beyond that, a campus hotel 
>>with a restaurant would provide another social venue --- a meeting place 
>>for alumni, visiting scholars and local residents, he said.
>>
>>Unlike a typical setting for a conference center, Pullman presents some 
>>challenges, such as its remote location. But it also has some advantages, 
>>such as a home constituency that attends and plans hundreds of conferences 
>>each year. WSU's Hospitality and Business Management program could both 
>>bolster and benefit from the hotel/conference center, Schlatter said.
>>
>>"I can see some interesting things evolving from this," he said. But, to 
>>find a solution that works for Pullman, developers are going to have to 
>>"think outside the box."
>>
>>Interested development companies are being invited to submit a listing of 
>>their qualifications by Nov. 1, but the deadline could be extended if 
>>necessary.
>>
>>Unlike a request for design proposals, this request is an attempt to 
>>identify two or three development companies with the necessary experience 
>>in university-based hotel and conference center management to put together 
>>a financially viable plan for a self-supporting or profit-generating 
>>facility.
>>
>>"All we are looking for is their qualifications," Schlatter said. Once a 
>>few well-qualified companies have been identified, they will be asked to 
>>present specific proposals.
>>
>>"The challenge is, you don't want to do something like this and have it 
>>fail financially," he said.
>>
>>The parameters of the proposal are that WSU wants a conference center that 
>>can accommodate groups of up to 200 people, with both a large amphitheater 
>>for multi-media presentations and breakout rooms for smaller gatherings. A 
>>full-service restaurant would be part of the plan, and the hotel portion 
>>of the project would serve both overnight guests and extended-stay 
>>visitors. The project description does not include a specific number of 
>>rooms, preferring to see what the development company recommends.
>>
>>The suggested building site is north of the Student Recreation Center, 
>>along North Fairway Drive, but Schlatter said other sites could be 
>>considered as well. WSU will maintain ownership of the land, he said, but 
>>could provide the development company with a ground lease.
>>
>>WSU has been considering a hotel/conference center for a long time. Two 
>>feasibility reports were conducted in 2002, including the survey by the 
>>School of Economic Sciences. But, Schlatter said, the missing piece was 
>>the new golf course. Without a golf course, he said, it is very difficult 
>>to attract large groups for multi-day conferences.
>>