Follow the queen
Resorts outside the Historic Triangle expect to profit from Jamestown 2007

by Elizabeth Cooper
for Virginia Business
April 2007

As a British subject, Gordon Slatford is delighted that Queen Elizabeth II is coming to Virginia in May for the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. But as general manager of The Tides Inn in Irvington, he is more interested in the business the event could generate.

The Northern Neck resort is 75 miles from Jamestown, close enough that Slatford expects a ripple effect from Jamestown 2007 throughout the year, including the May 11-13 anniversary weekend, the celebration’s crowning event. (The queen may arrive the week before. Her itinerary was unclear at press time.)

Slatford is not alone in his expectations. Hotels and resorts from Virginia Beach to Richmond are gearing up to welcome visitors eager to experience Colonial history but unable to find accommodations in the Historic Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. Up to 30,000 visitors are expected each day of the anniversary weekend. With about 10,000 rooms in the Williamsburg area (and some of those reserved for a professional golf tournament that same weekend), Slatford thinks some guests will head elsewhere for lodging, including the Northern Neck. “We believe it’s going to create more interest in the area,” he says, adding that the celebration has been promoted in the United Kingdom for more than a year. “This is sort of increasing interest in Virginia. Brits love this sort of thing.”

Jamestown 2007 is expected to give a big boost to tourism. Dennis P. Flannery, executive director of the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association, says the association is counting on the festivities to bring new visitors to Virginia. “If people are coming in for the celebration, their destination is going to be that area,” he adds. “But we find that most travelers leave a discretionary amount of time to visit other attractions. A lot of it is weather dependent, and a lot of it depends on what catches their attention.”

Just five miles from Jamestown, the Kingsmill Resort & Spa in Williamsburg is expecting May 11-13 to be a busy weekend, but most of its guests are more likely to be watching putts and drives than historical re-enactments. The resort is hosting the LPGA’s Michelob Ultra Open tournament that weekend, with 60,000 people expected to be on hand to watch top professional women golfers. Nevertheless, the resort anticipates some vacancies as eliminated players leave.

Kingsmill already has noted an 8 percent spike in May reservations over last year. Robin D. Carson, executive vice president and managing director, attri­butes the bump to not only the James­town celebration but also to additional group reservations for the resort. However, she says Jamestown 2007 should fill hotel rooms throughout eastern Virginia. “I have very good feelings about it. I feel certain the whole area is going to be full that weekend, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t spill over to surrounding areas as well.”

One of the main beneficiaries of the overflow should be the Newport News Marriott. Rick Thompson, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, says, “We expect to be sold out that weekend,” [of May 11-13]. “Our rates are less down in this area, and you might find that people are looking for bargains away from Colonial Williamsburg.” The Marriott, which opened last June, has been touting its proximity to Jamestown in advertisements in various publications. One of those ads appeared in the March issue of AirTran Airlines’ in-flight magazine, which featured a special section about the 400th anniversary. “Location is what we sell,” says Thompson. “I’m not going to stray far from that angle.”

On the other side of Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach is playing up its role in the Jamestown settlement by sponsoring a re-enactment of the first landing of Jamestown’s English settlers at what is now Cape Henry. Reproductions of the Susan Constant, Discovery and Godspeed — the ships that brought settlers to the New World in 1607 — will be at First Landing Park on April 26-29. Although business traditionally picks up in the spring, Virginia Beach hotel operators hope that the re-enactment, coupled with activities at Jamestown, will bring more guests to town. “Because it’s the 400th anniversary, this is very big for us,” says Stacey Patrick, general manager of the Virginia Beach Resort and Conference Center, whose advertisements tout the First Landing re-enactment. “First Landing has always been there, but we’ve never geared our ads fully to that until now.”

Jamestown is 45 minutes to an hour from the oceanfront, but Patrick believes Virginia Beach will draw visitors interested in history and the beach. “They can go and do the Jamestown events and come and see the beach.” She adds that four out of every 10 families who stay at the all-suite hotel schedule day trips to Busch Gardens, Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg.

But Ron Kuhlman, director of sales and marketing for the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, is cautious when predicting how many Jamestown visitors might take a side trip to the beach. “Traditionally, we exchange populations,” he notes. “Fifteen to 20 percent of the people who go to Williamsburg stay down here for a day.” Along with Virginia Beach’s tie-in activities to the 400th anniversary, Kuhlman says late April and May are usually very active as the resort gears up for the summer season. “They’re really going to be busy weekends for us.”

The Founders Inn and Spa may not boast an oceanfront location, but the Virginia Beach resort directly off Interstate 64 is hoping that its central location and other amenities will attract guests ready to relax after a full day of Colonial history. “We play up the fact that we’re in an area of historical importance,” says Tade Allen, director of sales. “We hope travelers coming to the area will want to take in all of it because other parts of the area played a part in this event that’s being commemorated.”

To attract Jamestown visitors, the Founders Inn has designed a three-day, two-night America 400 package available throughout 2007. It includes two Jamestown passes, a “Welcome to Virginia” basket, breakfast for two in the inn’s Swan Terrace Restaurant and a hardcover copy of “Historic Hampton Roads.” The offer has piqued some interest, although Allen points out that it’s still early for bookings. “Our leisure guests don’t book until they get into a shorter window. We’re hopeful and optimistic but realistic at the same time.”

Richmond also hopes to host Jamestown visitors. The city formed Richmond 2007 to promote itself during the 400th anniversary with events such as the landing of the Godspeed in Richmond in late May. “We are certain that interest will spread to the Richmond area,” says Jennifer Crisp, marketing coordinator for The Jefferson Hotel. “The hope is that even though Richmond is not specifically known for Colonial history, given the rich history in the area, people may spend a few days in Jamestown and a few days in Richmond.”