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Planning/Economic Development
Hotel Feasibility Study and Retail Analysis
Greater Pointe Coupee Chamber of Commerce, Louisiana
 Two events will reshape the retail and travel industries in a rural parish on the fringe of Baton Rouge. First, Hurricane Katrina caused a massive drop in tourism while filling hotel rooms to more than an 85 percent occupancy rate, and set off a housing boom as hundreds of people permanently relocated to the parish. Second, a new bridge over the Mississippi River will make the county seat of New Roads far more accessible, resulting in nearly a doubling of its market area.
The Greater Pointe Coupee Chamber of Commerce hired R.A. Smith National to research the market demand for a new hotel to be located in the City of New Roads. This was complicated by a dramatic skewing of data caused by the hurricane. We overcame these challenges by normalizing trends with long-term data from before the storm, then factoring in permanent changes that will support an increased demand for rooms.
The analysis identified a potential to capture an additional thirty rooms per night if a new midscale hotel were built. Revenue per available room would remain largely unchanged in the market, although there is an expectation that occupancy would drop at some of the existing lodging establishments.
Two sites were recommended for consideration. The first of these is a location along the highway to the bridge. Alternatively, the hotel could be located on the lakefront in the downtown.
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