Owensboro's hotels and motels are putting a lot more heads in beds.
The Messenger-Inquirer reports in the past two years alone, hotel revenues jumped 36 percent up to nearly 22-million dollars, and this year is already 13 percent ahead of 2015.
The upsurge really took off in 2014 with the openings of both the Owensboro Convention Center and the Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Downtown Owensboro/Waterfront. Plus, a third 90 room downtown hotel is planned near the convention center with a possible opening in 2018.Downtown Owensboro hasn’t had three hotels in more than 50 years.
The general manager of the Hampton Inn & Suites, Matthew McLoud, told the paper the opening of the Holiday Inn last year enabled the city to attract large conventions that they couldn’t have gotten with just one downtown hotel.
Convention and Visitor’s Bureau executive director Shannon Wetzel credits 2015’s tourism upswing on the Owensboro Air Show expanding to three days and larger crowds at both the ROMP music festival and the East Bridge Art & Music Festival.
