CHAMPAIGN – This summer’s hail storm may have been bad news for homeowners, but good news for some hotels.
John Hammond, general manager of Candlewood Suites, said until recently that he spent months roofing his Champaign hotel.
“Then we had a lot of insurance specialists here,” he said. “It was an unfortunate incident, but it was nice for us.”
As an extended-stay hotel, the Candlewood Suites do better than the more tourism-centric ones, Hammond said.
“We have full kitchens and the amenities that people want, especially during the pandemic,” he said. “People now like to cook their own food.”
Occupancy at the Candlewood Suites has been on par with normal lately, Hammond said, although she definitely had problems in early 2020.
“We didn’t have to fire anyone or take people off. We were lucky enough to maintain adequate occupancy, ”he said. “We got one goal, but it could have been more drastic.”
It has also benefited from road works and the construction of a wind farm, Hammond said.
Nationwide occupancy fell to almost 20 percent last April, rose to around 50 percent in the summer and, according to the hospitality benchmarking company STR, is now around 40 percent.
“Occupancy in the region is still very low at 20 to 30 percent in January,” said Laura Rittenhouse, president of the Champaign-Urbana Hotel and Lodging Association. “It’s usually twice that. We have seen a slight increase in reservation bookings lately as our region shifts to higher stages and lower levels. We hope this will continue and increase once the vaccine is distributed. “
“Oddly enough, there is still traffic in hotels,” said Peter Tomaras, former hotel operator and current industry advisor.
“I walk past the I Hotel quite often and there is sure to be some traffic,” he said with television crews and Illinois basketball game officials. “In general, there seems to be just enough travel to keep people afloat.”
Some hotels closed temporarily last spring, but Tomaras said he is not aware of any local hotels that are closing permanently.
While more than 15 restaurants in Champaign-Urbana have closed permanently, Tomaras said some fees will be eased during the pandemic.
Some companies have been reluctant to charge franchise or management fees, and banks are unlikely to rule out a hotel.
“Most banks don’t want to get into the hotel business,” he said.
“I think people are just trying to deal with the situation instead of charging fees and payments. Creditors do not want to exclude hotels because then they will have a hotel. “
