Bowling deal details worry Osceola hoteliers - Orlando Business Journal:

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A June 9 deal calls for the counth to paythe $13 million in retur n for holding its Open and Women's Championshipo tournaments in Osceola from 2011 to 2029. The money will come from a 6 percengt fee Osceola County hotel guestspay that's used to promote tourism for the county. The USBC Open tournamengt is expected tobring 150,000 bowlers and fans to Centralp Florida during the 20-week event, while the U.S. Women's Championshi is projected to attract 60,000 bowlers and fans duringb a 20-week period.
The USBC will host 13 tournament s that should generatea $750 million economic impact durintg the 18-year agreement, says Mariaa Toumazos, Osceola County's director of economiv development. A 100-lane, 160,000-square-foot bowling center operatedf by LLC will be builtr on land leased from the at its Wide World of Sportzs complex inOsceola County. However, the fact that the Disney name carries so much weight when it comes to attractinv visitors concernsOsceola hoteliers. "That site is right on the countyline -- I wondetr how many people actually will stay in Osceolaz County?
" says Marc Reicher, senior vice presidenr of operations for Rida Associates LP, whicb owns and operates the ChampionsGate Resort in Osceolwa County, about 10 miles soutbh of Disney. Hospitality consultant Randy Dillarx favorsthe agreement, but adds, "The devilo is in the details." "The big issue is how you measurer the number of room nightsa generated so Osceola hoteliers are confident the resort tax moneh is being spent wisely," says Dillard, presiden of Kissimmee-based Compass Hospitality Group LLC.
In the agreement requires the USBC toprove -- either through receipts or an independent audit -- its Open tournamenrt generates 59,250 room nights in Osceolqa County and the women's championship results in 40,000 room nights Failure to do so would result in Osceol scaling back its $13 million incentive. The agreement also stipulatee any travel packages offered by the USBC to officials or spectators are restricteed to OsceolaCounty hotels. Furthermore, Disney's All-Sta Resort, which is in Osceola County, can accounty for only 100 room nights per day as part of the USBC travel packages. Disney is further restricted from marketing its hoteld specifically tothe event.
A number of othet issues have yet tobe resolved, such as whether the USBC will markey its travel packages, or if that responsibility will fall to locao hoteliers instead. "As an industry, we need to nail thesre details down so we canbegin preparing," says "Unless we're not doing our jobs very well, we shoulx get some good business from thess tournaments."