CONNEAUT – Casually scrolling the internet doesn’t always yield positive results.
Conneaut City Manager Nick Sanford, though, managed to find a ray of light in the darkness when he stumbled upon a posting on the Truck World corporate website headlined “Prime Retail Travel Plaza & Hotel Opportunity.”
Much to Sanford’s delight, the post was for development of the pad site to the immediate south of Truck World and Dunkin’ Donuts along Route 7 in Conneaut.
“Out of freak happenstance, I found a posting by Truck World on their corporate website that they have an RFQ (request for quote) for a lease option,” Sanford said. “We nudged them about a year ago and said, ‘Listen, this is the time to strike, things are going to be happening. People already need places to stay and that is a prime location. We have people we can connect you with.’”
Truck World listed the highlights and economic drivers of the property, which included direct access (I-90 and U.S. Route 7) with prominent visibility; part of new master-planned off-ramp development project; exceptional market demand for lodging (year round); highly desirable location with access to key markets; underserved hospitality submarket with limited competition; proximity to recreational activities (all seasons); major economic regional growth; traffic counts peaking 37,000 vehicles per day; and high occupancy potential with year-over-year upside.
“In the month of April, there were 49,000 vehicles in that area,” Sanford said. “That’s in the offseason. These are the details you don’t think of until you step back and look at the 10,000-foot view. (The amount of traffic and development) are what we hoped for. Getting the word out to developers is the next step. The message I always try and get out there is that we are open for business, and it has started to get out.”
With statistics like those in the offseason, there’s potential for more than a single hotel.
“Frankly, they have it teed up for one in that location, but I’d like to see two,” Sanford said.
Truck World seems just as optimistic about the property.
“We are pleased to offer a prime hospitality pad-site development opportunity located along the I-90 corridor at a newly developed master-planned off-ramp location in Conneaut, Ohio,” the posting reads. “The property is strategically located at the OHIO/PENN State-line, midway between Cleveland, OH, and Buffalo, NY. Conneaut’s central location stands as an entry-gateway into key markets capturing East and Westbound traffic, servicing as a major arterial corridor that connects Midwestern Region and East Coast metropolitan areas.”
The Truck World post also noted that Ashtabula County is growing as a market.
“The NE Ohio lodging submarket has a unique mix of economic demand generators including expansion of port activity,” the posting reads. “Ashtabula County hosts a vast array of private businesses and large employers which have paved the way to major growth in the manufacturing sector and many other expanding industries. The site is situated in close proximity to entertainment and year-round recreational activities luring travelers from far regions.”
Truck World also noted a hotel chain could capitalize on developing the pad site.
“By investing in this prominent new development opportunity, a qualified hotel operator with the right franchise flag will capitalize on the profitability of an underserved high demand market with limited surrounding competition,” the posting reads.
The Ashtabula County Convention Facility Authority hired a consultant, Hotel and Leisure Advisors (H&LA), to conduct a study of Ashtabula County and, in selling Conneaut, Sanford noted how unique Conneaut is in terms of development.
“The CFA hired a consultant, and they looked at multiple areas in Ashtabula County,” Sanford said. “I sat (the consultant) down, and said Conneaut is a tale of three cities. There’s the Port District, which was the subject of development, but that died during COVID. There’s the downtown area in which there are significant opportunities for development. Then, there’s the interchange. It’s like any other interchange in America, but it’s a prime location for development and they referenced that in their findings.”
A market analysis study of several Ashtabula County communities, including Conneaut, by H&LA stated:
The SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis specific to Conneaut identified direct proximity to Lake Erie and Interstate 90, along with recreational activities like fishing, boating and beaches. In addition, the Conneaut Port Authority (CPA) adopted a master plan and Coastal Resilience Plan in 2023 that will enhance the area’s Lake Erie shoreline and natural resources. Implementation will be beneficial to a potential lodging project. Weaknesses include the seasonality of Conneaut demand and weaker performance levels in nonpeak periods.
Conneaut offers one traditional hotel property, the Days Inn Conneaut, with 105 rooms. The hotel is aged and in need of renovations.
The study identified three types of lodging developments that have the potential for success in Conneaut:
The development of a soft-brand boutique hotel with spa/wellness would do well along the Conneaut lakefront. The study recommended the property offer between 60 to 80 rooms and an on-site restaurant and lounge open to the public year-round. The property should offer 2,000 to 5,000 square feet of meeting space to host a variety of events in the area, including weddings, corporate events, and more. The spa should offer six to eight treatment rooms and provide a variety of massage, skin, nail, and esthetician services.
The study recommended the property offer a wide range of activities for guests including a winery shuttle. H&LA projected stabilized occupancy between 55 percent and 65 percent.
The development of a limited-service hotel would be well served at the Interstate 90 and State Route 7 interchange. The study recommended the property offer between 70 and 110 rooms and offer complimentary breakfast, business center, approximately 500 square feet of meeting space, an indoor pool, fitness center, guest laundry, and free high-speed Wi-Fi. Possible franchises could include Home2Suites, Tru by Hilton, Springhill Suites, and Staybridge Suites. H&LA projected stabilized occupancy for this property type to be between 60 percent and 70 percent.
A bed & breakfast (B&B) or grouping of Airbnb units would serve the Conneaut market and would fit well with the existing Conneaut wineries or a new winery. The study recommended the property offers between six to 10 rooms and tie into the local area for theming and design elements. H&LA projects a stabilized occupancy of between 50 percent and 60 percent.
The study recommended that officials determine where best to align resources and municipal incentives to have the best chance of future development in each community.
“This will include community input, feasibility and financial analysis for hotel development in a specific location, analysis of construction costs and the alignment of any potential development with the strategic goals of the community and Ashtabula County,” the study reads. “Developers and investors will need to be identified for specific projects.”
Truck World posting to develop more of the I-90/Route 7 interchange is in direct support of the H&LA study and is something Sanford has advocated for.
“I have advocated for it aggressively,” Sanford said. “I’m very happy the developers have received the message and we’re all reading from the same hymn book.”
“We had a conversation (with Truck World), but it’s been a few months,” Sanford continued. “They’re acting on it and that’s the exciting part. We want to help them in any way we can because that’s what good stewardship is.”
No development is currently in the works as the posting is simply the first step, but Sanford has hopes the process moves quickly.
“I don’t know how quickly they want to move, but I think it would behoove them to incentivize moving this along fairly quickly,” Sanford said.
Beyond bringing hotels to Conneaut, Sanford would like to see development in a number of different areas.
“Our comprehensive plan advised that we develop that interchange,” Sanford said. “Heading east (from the interchange) we’d like to see industrial development in the way of Tyler Avenue. That’s beyond data centers. In the rest of the area, we want to promote agricultural development, small farms. Along the creek valley, we’d like development of wineries and tourism. That’s something we do very well and we’d like to stick with it. We’d also like to continue to redevelop residential housing so there are affordable housing options within the community.”
Learning of the Truck World posting, along with the recent news that Graphite One plans to build a $1.4 billion dollar facility in Conneaut, gives the city a bit of momentum.
“I do feel some momentum,” Sanford said. “The public sentiment is concerning, because I think it’s manufactured. It’s just an unfortunate setback, but the energy is there. It’s tangible. (Moving forward) is about how we respond to it with cautious optimism and control because how we respond will define our future. Everybody has a right to be concerned about what is unknown, but when the flurry of questions becomes the elephant in the room, it needs to be addressed, but it needs to be addressed with objectivity and with fact. We need to not be completely closed to the concept of change.”
