Travelers coming to Dover will notice two hotels along Route 13 have recently disappeared.
Earlier this summer, Delaware State University inked a deal to lease the Dover Sheraton to address its space needs, including student housing. It is in the process of converting the facility to serve students starting later this month.
Down the road from the Sheraton, The Rodeway Inn, Dover’s oldest hotel property on Route 13 at Loockerman Street, was torn down last month. Owners are rebuilding and will open next year as Home2Suites with retail space on the bottom floor.
[caption id="attachment_47999" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Construction is underway at the old Rodeway Inn site which will become a Home2Suites next year."]
The closure of those two hotels reduces the number of available rooms by 250 in the state capital for at least the next 12 months before the Home2Suites opens.
Kent County Tourism’s Director of Sales Charles Gray says he does not expect the loss of rooms to result a spike in room rates,even during NASCAR race weekends
“The hotels obviously recognize that the demand isn’t as high as it was in the pinnacle years (of NASCAR) so they really haven’t raised those rates. They are on average, the same as they have been the last couple of years,” said Gray.
Gray also does not expect the loss of over 200 rooms should not to make it harder to find a place to stay during next two NASCAR race weekends in Dover.
“In the heyday of NASCAR racing on the East Coast, you had a lot of hotels here that had 4 day/4 night minimums. Those minimums have gone away,” said Gray.
Gray notes that the loss of the Sheraton also means the loss of a conference facility in the city - leaving Dover Downs as the only hotel property with an attached conference room.
He says that’s cause for concern – especially with faith-based organizations may not book a conference at a casino and consider taking their business elsewhere.