May 01– May 1–Baton Rouge Metro Airport is looking for someone to develop a full service or select service hotel on one of two tracts of airport property.
The airport has opened a request for proposal to develop one of two 3.4-acre tracts. The minimum requirements are for a 110- to 125-room hotel, affiliated with an upscale or upper-upscale hotel brand. The hotel will either have restaurant space, either operated by the hotel or leased to an operator, serving three meals a day. Other amenities, including 3,000 to 4,000 square feet of meeting space, a business center and a fitness center, are also part of the plan.
While there are five hotels near the airport, none of them has a restaurant, said Jim Caldwell, an airport spokesman. "We really need that in here," he said. "If we want to get airline crews in and secure contracts, that is needed. An additional restaurant is also needed for north Baton Rouge."
One of the sites is currently a parking lot by the airport parking garage. The other site is undeveloped green space, across from the long-term parking lot. Baton Rouge Metro is asking for base rent of $30,736 per year for each spot, plus payment of 6% of gross revenues. The minimum guarantee would be no less than $250,000 per year by the third year of operation.
Proposals for the airport hotel are due by May 23. After that a selection committee will meet to go over the offers and make a recommendation at a later date.
