MONROE — A countywide tourism plan backed by the hotel industry could be in jeopardy because Monroe city officials are reluctant to join in.
Hoteliers have been asking for permission to impose a $1 nightly fee on their own hotel rooms. The money would be pooled under state rules for a tourism promotion area.
An estimated $800,000 per year raised by the promotion area would be used to market Snohomish County as a place to hold large events. Conventions and sports tournaments, in particular, are coveted for their potential to draw crowds, or in industry speak, to “put heads in beds.”
“The lodging industry is not coming to the county with a hand out, not coming to the city with a hand out, they are coming to them with a solution,” said Amy Spain, Snohomish County Tourism Bureau executive director.
If Monroe declines to participate, hoteliers are likely to spend months, even upward of a year, rewriting agreements with Snohomish County and up to eight other cities. The Monroe City Council is expected to consider the issue at 7 tonight at City Council chambers, 806 W. Main St.
If any city decides not to participate, events in their area are unlikely to receive promotional money. In Monroe’s case, that probably means that events at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds and local sports venues would lose out.
Monroe Mayor Robert Zimmerman said he’s not inclined to support the idea. Local hotels can tout themselves just fine without a promotion area, he said.
“There’s no need to create (another) level of bureaucracy,” Zimmerman said.
Other concerns are that Monroe hotels would be competing for county promotional money and that once inside the tourism promotion area, it would be too hard to leave.
What baffles Spain and others is that joining the promotion area costs local governments nothing. She wondered whether Monroe city officials understand exactly what they’re objecting to. The lodging industry may share some blame for failing to communicate with them, she said.
Six other cities have signed on, Spain said. They are Bothell, Edmonds, Everett, Marysville, Mountlake Terrace and Mukilteo. Monroe, Arlington and Lynnwood are the other cities. Those are the only cities in the county with hotels that have 50 or more rooms.
Members of the local lodging industry have been working to form a tourism promotion area since 2007.
If it’s formed, an appointed board comprised of hoteliers and other members of the tourism industry will make recommendations to the County Council about how to spend the money.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
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