After a decade marred at times by controversy, things are looking up for the city-owned Hilton Vancouver Washington and Convention Center.
The Hilton, located in the heart of downtown at 301 W. Sixth St., marked its 10th anniversary Monday with the city touting the hotel’s highest revenue to date. In 2014, the hotel generated $14.1 million in revenue compared to $12.9 million in 2013. In the first five months of 2015, the hotel and convention center generated $5.9 million in revenue.
“Operations have improved significantly over the past couple of years,” Vancouver’s Chief Financial Officer Lloyd Tyler said.
The hotel’s convention center also received close to $2.75 million in tax subsidies in 2014 to pay off two bonds used to finance construction of the project.
The first bond is funded by a special 2 percent of the city’s 4 percent lodging tax, resulting in $846,000 in revenue last year. The second bond is funded by 0.033 percent of state sales tax from the City and County Public Facilities District. Those taxes contributed $1.9 million to the hotel in 2014.
Hotel general manager Eric Walters said the hotel “definitely rode the wave out of the recession,” but declined to provide specific details about the hotel’s occupancy rate.
He did add that the hotel’s 226 rooms are typically full every weekend from spring through fall, and a news release from the city reports that more than 100,000 attended 1,287 events at the hotel’s convention center in 2014. Vancouver estimates that the hotel’s occupants injected about $19.6 million into the local economy last year.
Walters credits a recovering economy with the rise in business, as well as the increase of activities and events in the downtown area.
“There are folks who enjoy the hometown feel of Vancouver,” Walters said.
The hotel is also undergoing large-scale renovations to draw more customers. In March, the hotel replaced carpets and drapery in its guest rooms, and expects a full remodel of its meeting space to be completed sometime this fall.
The hotel will celebrate its 10-year anniversary with a series of promotions throughout the year, including a “10 for $10” deal — featuring 10 menu items priced at $10 — at the hotel’s Gray’s at the Park restaurant.
The hotel employs 189 people, 31 of whom have been there since the hotel opened in 2005.
