The previous site provoked an outpouring of criticism when it was first introduced on April 9. Thompson Hospitality LLC might get the new site -- the parking lot at the southeast corner of Granby Street and City Hall Avenue known as Federal Square and valued in 1997 at $1.7 million -- for free, city officials said. 

The words �win-win� slipped from everyone's lips. The city's Development Department recruited Thompson Hospitality to build a top notch, suites-style hotel downtown.  In Thompson, the department saw an opportunity to fill a void in the urban core's hospitality market with an extended-stay product, and to do it with a high-profile Black investor.  Attracting Black investment to the city has become a priority for the Development Department. Although 45 percent of the city's population is Black, there is no significant Black investment in the downtown area.

Along with investors in his firm, Thompson Hospitality, LLC, has built and operates six hotels in Georgia and the Carolinas. Investors include Eddie Murray, who played for the Baltimore Orioles, and Kenny Lofton, an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians.  Mr. Thompson�s new venture in Norfolk will include Thomas Smith, a defense back with the Chicago Bears 

Mr. Thompson and Mr. Smith along with other athletes have joined with the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NABHOOD) in devising a plan to bring more professional athletes into the hotel
industry. This is a industry where you can partner with some of the largest hotel companies in the world. Many athletes see hotel ownership as an investment in which they can play a larger role once their professional athletic
career is over. Thomas Smith hopes to manage the hotels he has ownership in when he leaves the Chicago Bears.

The important factor in investing in hotels is getting the right deal and partnering with experienced hoteliers. NABHOOD will help identify partnering opportunities with athletes and experience African American hoteliers.