Odessa hotel building booms; oil show nears

ODESSA – In 2013, Odessa added six hotels with more than 1,200 rooms, and in so far 2014 eight more have been announced or are under construction, according to the Convention and Visitors Bureau of the Odessa Chamber of Commerce.

Three of the eight hotels underway are expected to come online by October 2014 when the annual oil show begins.

Openings include the

•  Baymont Inn and Suites Hotel, with 71 rooms;

•  Courtyard by Mariott, with 100 rooms; and

•  Homewood Suites by Hilton, with 121 rooms.

All three are in the Parks Legado development area of east Odessa.

The new hotels will bring the total hotel rooms in Odessa to about 3,650.

Rates that range during normal times of the year from $189 to $200 are projected to spike to $300 or $400 the week of the oil show.

Hotel developers can usually pay off a new hotel within two years, according to the Odessa Chamber of Commerce, but developers desiring a head-start from oil show premiums still faced the prevalent construction delays brought by a tight labor market.