Third-Tier Growth Spurt
Quality accommodations help lure travelers off the beaten track
With suburban hotel performance surpassing the growth rate for urban properties, many hoteliers are turning to secondary and tertiary markets to meet the demand for up-and-coming travel destinations. Among them is the management company Charlestowne Hotels. Its President and CEO Michael W. Tall says that the company is making the growth of boutique properties in second- and third-tier cities a main focus of their 2019 business plan. In a recent interview with LODGING, Tall described this tertiary-tier tourism boom and his company's participation in it.
Tall notes growing interest in secondary and tertiary markets across the industry. "Now more than ever, the interests of travelers—including those termed 'adventure travelers'—are piqued by the unknown and unseen. As a result, travel to small, off-the-beaten-path towns has grown." However, he observes, a significant portion of these travelers have no interest in roughing it. "They bring with them their big-city expectations: Even a one-stoplight town needs quality and interesting accommodations."
Tall says Charlestowne recognized a need for such accommodations via lifestyle hotels that connect with their local community and deliver an authentic sense of place in these markets—including university towns and others considered to be "under the radar". Tall points out numerous advantages of university markets in particular, including their consistency and predictability.
