CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Officials with Visit Corpus Christi said that the hotel business here is doing much better than almost any other spot around the state.
This is the third straight year that the hotel business here has seen occupancy numbers going up.
"Corpus Christi is having more occupancy growth versus last year than any of the other Texas coastal cities, San Antonio and even if you add the entire state together, the state is slightly down,” said Visit Corpus Christi CEO Brett Oetting.
A recent study shows that hotels in Corpus Christi have seen a 1.5 percent growth over the last year. Galveston isn’t far behind at 1.3 percent but places like South Padre are down by 1.5 percent. The rest of the state is at -0.5 percent.
So, why are people flocking to Corpus Christi? ”There’s more things to do for people to make them want to stay longer.” CEO, Brett Oetting Visit Corpus Christi.
Doubletree by Hilton Corpus Christi Beachfront Regional Director of Operations Kunal Patel said the owners spent a lot of money renovating the hotel, which used to be known as the Radisson. He said the business is doing well because of the city's investment in infrastructure and popular tourist destinations.
Those dollars are paying to upgrade roads, infrastructure and places where tourists go to relax and spend money.
”When you think about Corpus Christi we are an up and coming diamond city," he said. "The amount of money the city is putting in the CVB, with the visitors bureau putting in, it’s only right for the businesses to put money back into their businesses."
Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo said that another hotel in town is spending millions of dollars to renovate its property.
"As we speak, we have a $30 million renovation to one of our local hotels happening, and that’s very important because they know that the experience for our visitors is either going to bring them back or not," she said.
Officials also point out that one economic survey showed tourists are spending $1.4 billion per year in town, establishing Corpus Christi as one of the best and most affordable vacation spots on the Gulf Coast.
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