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“We’re not done yet,” Marriott Courtyard general manager Richard Hendrix said during a pre-opening tour conducted last Wednesday for staff members with the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, as participants commented on the ongoing list of features they saw walking through the new structure between Library Drive and Civic Center Boulevard.
A visit to the hotel, which opens Tuesday next to the civic center, marked a much-anticipated addition to the Tri-parish area. And according to government and business leaders it is already showing its value to the region.
“It exceeds anything we have in the city or parish,” said Janel Ricca, director of the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center. “The building sold itself – that was the easy part. The challenge will be getting the word out and tapping into those customers that will bring conventions to the area.”
According to hotel general manager Richard Hendrix, attracting small and mid-sized conventions and conferences to Houma should not be as difficult as some might think. The 39-year veteran of the hospitality industry confirmed that there is a strong market for mid-sized hotels next to convention centers in cities like Houma, as an alternative to venues that might be otherwise overwhelming in both size and price among larger cities like New Orleans or Baton Rouge.
“We’re really excited about being here,” Hendrix said as he approached his sixth month in Terrebonne Parish after moving from Tucson, Ariz. “This is the greatest town I’ve ever been in, in terms of being open and friendly,” he said.
That southern hospitality will go far, according to Hendrix, in not only attracting initial conferences, but in securing repeat business for his inn, the neighboring civic center and area businesses.
“The civic center is a wonderful facility with a lot of potential,” Hendrix said.
The new Houma Marriott Courtyard features 144 guest rooms – including 41 suites – a bistro-style restaurant, lounge, library, fitness center, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, business center and high-tech information tools located throughout the facility.
While there are elements that keep the Houma Marriott coherent with the company’s other properties around the country, the interior design, colors and artwork generate a theme consistent to what living and working in the Louisiana Bayou Region has to offer.
Marriott invested $22 million into this 13-month construction project and Hendrix said he is confident it will not be long before they see a return on their investment.
“We’ve already seen the benefits,” said Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet in reference to the scheduled February 2012 hosting of the state Police Jury Convention. “That was impossible prior to having a hotel adjacent to the civic center.”
Ricca said that being able to sell having an upper scale hotel next to the convention center has also helped the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center land the Surveyors Convention in April 2011 and the Fireman’s Convention in July 2011. A grand opening celebration is also slated for January 2011.
“I think Houma has the promise of being a hot spot in Louisiana,” Ricca said. “We still have our challenges in perception – it still floods here – so it is a challenge to meet.”
Ricca said that typically the civic center would host one major convention per year. But with the addition of the Marriott Courtyard that number should increase on a regular basis.
“When a big convention comes, it is necessary to be in walking distance of where people are going to stay. This makes us more competitive,” she said.
“[The Marriott and civic center complex] is going to give us an influx of people and we will be able to showcase the parish,” Claudet said.
Ricca and Hendrix stressed that Houma has been able to maintain a small city touch while adding some big city amenities. Claudet noted that Terrebonne Parish has a reason for the rest of the state to take notice.
“We think this is a great move for both us and the civic center,” Hendrix said.
The new 144-room Marriott Courtyard is located between Library Drive and Civic Center Boulevard. MIKE NIXON
