Double Tree takes root in LR, sees occupancy soar.

Though a recent decision by the NAACP to relocate a regional convention from Little Rock was a disappointment to the city's DoubleTree Hotel, the downtown facility in the past year has met and surpassed goals set by management, its general manager says.

John B. Charles Jr., the hotel's general manager, says becoming a member of the DoubleTree Hotel family last year and accessing a dedicated local, regional and national sales staff has helped the hotel grow.

The Little Rock DoubleTree employs four full-time sales representatives to peddle its convention facilities, accommodations and other amenities. As a franchised facility, the hotel draws conventions both regionally and nationally, using a sales staff across the country.

After spending $8 million to renovate the Camelot Inn into the modern DoubleTree, the sales force has something worth pushing on potential conventioneers. Charles says the remodeled building is one of the reasons DoubleTree has grown since reopening last year.

The DoubleTree employs about 200 people and has 287 rooms, about 16 less than the Camelot had; the new hotel went with more suites. In addition, the DoubleTree's meeting rooms and food and beverage facilities were upgraded, he says.

Before remodeling, the Camelot Inn's reservation and occupancy rates had fallen off dramatically. Charles says the occupancy rate was less than 40 percent. When the hotel reopened as the DoubleTree in February 1996, Charles said the hotel needed an occupancy rate of more than 50 percent to succeed.

He says the occupancy rates have varied from month to month since opening, but the rates average 50-60 percent. Charles expects even better figures to come.

"We're going into the good months, the convention season," he says. "We will probably hit close to [70 percent occupancy rates]. We'll be up in the 70s and high 60s."

Local use of the DoubleTree is increasing, too, he says. During the past year, local groups, events and receptions have increased by about 30 percent. This includes room reservations and food and beverage purchases, he says.

Balanced Business

As the Camelot, about 90 percent of the hotel's business came from conventions, Charles says. About 55 percent of the DoubleTree's business is conventions, while the other 45 percent is individual, corporate and local use.

Barry Travis, executive director of the Little Rock Convention and Visitor's Bureau, says the DoubleTree rebirth has been good for the downtown area.

"The DoubleTree project has been, in my opinion, one of the most successful projects here," he says. "Everything is working really wonderfully. They've met their goals and exceeded them in some areas."

Travis credits the hotel's new look and the DoubleTree sales staff for the successes.

Last year, Travis says, he thought the DoubleTree would add to downtown Little Rock's convention package and attract more conventions. After one year, he doesn't have the numbers to back up his prognostication, but Travis says he still thinks more conventions will come to the downtown area as a result of the hotel.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People had planned a regional convention for March 27-29 at the DoubleTree. Charles says the NAACP gathering was moved from Little Rock because employees at the chain's headquarters in Phoenix failed to turn in a survey to the NAACP by a deadline.

DoubleTree executives in Phoenix are negotiating with the NAACP to resolve the dispute, he says, but the regional convention has been relocated to a Hilton in Baton Rouge, La.

The decision by the NAACP to move the convention hurts Little Rock DoubleTree employees, white and black alike, Charles says. Almost all 200 employees would have worked the weekend the convention was in town, and the gathering would have brought about $46,000 to the hotel, he says.