Last June, with a traditional Hindu cracking of a coconut, Navin Patel commenced the construction of the 91-room, 56,000-square-foot Wingate Hotel in Coventry.
Built in the Centre of New England business park, near Exit 7 off Interstate 95, the Wingate is adjacent to the Hampton Inn, opened in 2002. And at least two more facilities have been discussed for the business park.
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The recent addition of hotels in Coventry, a 64-square-mile town that’s part suburban/part rural, shows a shift in the Rhode Island hotel market, said state Tourism Director David DePetrillo: Rooms are being added all over the state, not just in typical travel destinations such as Providence, Newport and Warwick.
“I think every couple of weeks, I get a phone call for somebody doing a study for a hotel developer looking to add a hotel in Rhode Island,” he said.
DePetrillo attributed part of the suburban hotel proliferation in Rhode Island to the location of the facilities. With the Coventry hotels, visitors have easy access to Route 95 and are close to T.F. Green Airport. That is part of what has made the Crowne Plaza at the Crossings in Warwick so popular, DePetrillo said.
While the Crowne Plaza is outside the area immediately near the airport, the location, at the intersection of Routes 5 and 113, has helped keep occupancy rates high.
The hotels outside of Providence also are popular for travelers looking for less expensive accommodations than, say, The Westin Providence, DePetrillo said. “These are facilities that don’t require full-service restaurants. People want to stay in a modestly priced place, and Rhode Island has actually turned out to be pretty good for that.”
DePetrillo said the expansion of hotel space in northern Rhode Island was a boon to the area. Recent openings have included a Holiday Inn in Woonsocket in 1999 and 121-room Courtyard by Marriott near the intersection of Routes 116 and 146 in Lincoln.
“It was always a strong area for business travel,” DePetrillo said. “However, it lacked the quantity of accommodations, so I’m happy to see hotels are being built there.”
Robert Billington, president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, said the only new hotel currently being planned for the region is in Pawtucket. That facility is included in the city’s riverfront development plan and would not open until at least 2007, he said.
While the communities the council represents have remained strong corporate destinations and have witnessed increases in business travel, Billington said, the region is “developing at a good pace” and the council is not advocating for a rapid expansion in available rooms.
“We’re not after huge growth,” Billington said. “We’re after more planned development that the community accepts and is comfortable with.”
DePetrillo said South County has seen a gradual expansion of bed-and-breakfasts and inn lodging, which he sees as a sign of an expanding tourism market. Much like in nearby Newport, DePetrillo said, the facilities are helping to meet the demand placed by tourists.
“It was a handful of inns, [and] now it’s a substantial part of their business,” DePetrillo said. “There’s a very high concentration, but they do well.”
Myrna George, director of the South County Tourism Council, said the amount of bed-and-breakfasts in the region fluctuate in the short term, and as an example pointed out that five closed recently.
Several projects are either in the process of being developed or have been discussed, she said. Currently, a hotel is slated to be added to South County Commons, a mixed-used development along Route 1 in South Kingstown. Another project would have brought a new hotel to Post Road in Westerly, but that project has been placed on hold while the Town Council can balance the need for more rooms with the concerns of residents.
The demand in the region, said George, has been created by the natural resources South County offers and the quality of life residents enjoy.
“We have maintained a sense of place that is unique to leisure visitors,” George said. “I think most destinations that visitors want to be in are the same places that residents want to be.”
DePetrillo said he would like to see an expansion of hotel space in Bristol County, an area that has a demand for it, but has few facilities outside of a few inns and bed-and-breakfasts.
“The opportunities are not only in Providence,” DePetrillo said. “We’ve got demand that’s created by both business and leisure travel.”
