County officials now weighing 3 new convention hotel proposals

According to published reports, three separate firms submitted proposals by the Dec. 18 deadline to build an envisioned hotel near the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City. The state of Utah and Salt Lake County have combined to offer up to $100 million in possible tax credits to the successful bidder.

According to published reports, three separate firms submitted proposals by the Dec. 18 deadline to build an envisioned hotel near the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City. The state of Utah and Salt Lake County have combined to offer up to $100 million in possible tax credits to the successful bidder.

County officials announced that the three firms that turned in proposals were Austin, Texas-based RLB Swerdlin, JLJL of Midvale and DDRM Cos. of Sandy.

Details of the proposals were not revealed and a county committee will meet Jan. 14 to review the bids for the hotel that will have 800 to 1,000 rooms.

Last year, the county announced that it was negotiating with Omni Hotels and Resorts and had reached an agreement in principle. However, the deal fell through in August when Omni asked for more incentives and $15 million in upfront cash from the local government entities. Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams has characterized the Omni deal as bad for taxpayers.

The state is offering $75 million in tax credits through the Governor’s Office of Economic Development as an incentive for potential hotel developers. The county has also agreed to kick in $25 million in incentives.

Utah officials have been trying to attract hotel developers to the downtown area for several years in order to alleviate the shortage of rooms that occurs when large conventions come to town. For instance, officials of the biannual Outdoor Retailer shows have threatened to move the show from Salt Lake City, citing the room shortage as a major concern.

After the Omni proposal fell through, the county reissued the invitation for companies to provide proposals and sweetened the deal by including two parcels of land adjacent to the Salt Palace that could be used for a connected hotel. Two of the development companies that submitted bids Dec. 18 said they’re considering using that county land.

DDRM is looking at using a parcel north of the convention center for a 1,200-to-1,600-room building that would include condos and hotel rooms, according to the company’s operations manager, Eric Hull. Hull said if the company wins the project, DDRM may try to partner with Starwood Hotels, which owns the St. Regis in Park City.

JLJL CEO John Lund said his company, a newly formed partnership of contractors and developers, wants to build a narrow, 50-story hotel on land at the south end of the convention center.

Read more:The Enterprise - County officials now weighing 3 new convention hotel proposals