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Visit Jacksonville-Main Office Visitor Information Center

• 100 N. Laura Street, Suite 120 Jacksonville, FL 32202
• (904) 798-9111

Guest Column: It's time to add the right mix of hotels to our Jacksonville destination

Opinion/columns/guest.

In January, we saw signs of tourism recovery. After a year we were eager to move beyond. A few months later, I am happy to share that Jacksonville tourism is back. 

It is evident in the demand for hotel rooms considering the past three months have surpassed the previous records for occupancy, which were set in 2018 and 2019. With bookings rebounding above pre-pandemic levels, it is time to examine the City’s hotel options, including the prospect of the Four Seasons Hotel. 

When Jacksonville hosted the Super Bowl in 2005, the City was slammed for the small market size and lack of hotels for such a big game. Since then, developers have been incentivized to build focus/select-service hotels, which do not include full-service restaurants and large conference spaces. Thousands of new rooms have been added and focus/select-service properties now make up more than 80 percent of the hotel inventory in Duval County.  

Jacksonville’s existing hotel inventory provides a great service to travelers, but incentivizing select service hotels shifts room demand from one property to another newer version of it. When new properties are like the ones already found in abundance in our destination, it is difficult to generate excitement and entice new business. More of the same hotels results in less revenue for a room and less economic impact on the community. 

At Visit Jacksonville, we believe it is time to focus on adding the right mix of hotels to our destination to provide more options for business and meeting travelers in addition to leisure travelers.  That mix starts with adding more full-service/upscale hotel options like the Four Seasons Hotel.

Full-service/upscale hotels are generally defined as having an onsite restaurant and lounge, providing 24-hour room service, laundry service, significant conference facilities and more, bringing all types of travelers. These hotels enhance city exposure and image, bringing in larger conventions, events, meetings and groups with attendees who typically spend more money and time in the destination. The impact of a single convention or meeting can be in the millions of dollars with the local economy reaping the benefits well beyond just the hotel property, as event hosts hire local companies or use local venues to entertain, decorate and staff functions. 

The proposal to bring the Four Seasons Hotel development to Jacksonville is the type of project that our city needs to help fill the existing gap in our hotel market. The development will also include a restored Met Park, a modernized city-owned marina with a park and a multifunctional building that will house a dockmaster’s office, ship store, restrooms with showers and a restaurant. 

Shad Khan and the Jacksonville Jaguars recognize this need and the impact this type of development will have on business and leisure travel for years to come, as well as the substantial economic impact of construction and permanent jobs.  

It is no longer about JUST developing more, it is about developing the best choice for Jacksonville as a destination. These decisions and developments help sustain the growth of tourism for our future. Tourism in Jacksonville is a $3.8 billion economic engine. It is time to put together a vision of what is best for our City for long-term economic impact and tourism growth. 

Michael Corrigan, president and CEO, Visit Jacksonville

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Visit Jackson offers free visitor information services such as area brochures, maps, and other informative material at our JXN Welcome Center at the corner of West and Pearl Streets (first floor) in downtown Jackson. Visit the center for our JXN store for shirts, blankets, caps, mugs and other souvenir merchandise (open Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.) Our online JXN merch store is available at jxnwelcomecenter.com .

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Visit Jackson offers numerous free services for convention & meeting planners. Shana Smith, Sales Specialist / 601-345-2576

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Title 42 is ending. Here's how Phoenix humanitarian groups are preparing

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Local groups that provide shelter, food and other humanitarian assistance to migrants are preparing for a possible sudden increase in the number of migrants released by federal immigration authorities at the end of this week when Title 42 border restrictions are set to end.

The groups have been lining up extra volunteers, stocking up on food and clothing, and reserving hotel rooms in case a sudden surge in migrants released by federal authorities results in overflows.

Officials at Sky Harbor International Airport are also preparing to add extra staff in case there is a sudden increase in migrants dropped off at the airport on their way to other states after being released in Arizona.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, former President Trump used an emergency health rule called Title 42 to quickly expel migrants who arrived at the border without authorization to help prevent the spread of the virus.

The Biden administration has continued to expel migrants mostly from Mexico and Central America under the policy, while allowing asylum seekers from other countries to enter. As a result, the end of the Title 42 border restrictions on May 11 could trigger an additional influx of migrants who have been waiting in Mexico for a chance to enter the U.S. and apply for asylum, on top of the ones from other countries who are already being let in.

'Real challenge': Sen. Mark Kelly on how he sees the end of Title 42 for Arizona

Migrants who arrive without authorization seeking asylum are typically processed by immigration authorities at the border. Those who can show that claims of fear of returning to their home countries are credible are often transported to local shelters in the Phoenix area and released to pursue their asylum claims. Migrants are also released at shelters in Yuma and Tucson.

The vast majority of asylum seekers released at local shelters in Arizona are usually headed to reunite with relatives and sponsors in other states. They typically only stay at local shelters for a few hours or overnight before boarding planes or buses to continue their journeys.

The Arizona Republic checked in with local shelters and airport officials to see how they are preparing for the end of Title 42 at 8:59 p.m. local time, 11:59 p.m. ET, Thursday.

Welcome Center

With a 340-bed capacity, the Welcome Center operated by the International Rescue Committee is the largest migrant shelter in the Phoenix area.

The center has not been able to get a clear picture of how the end of Title 42 will impact the shelter, said Aaron Rippenkroeger, the executive director of the refugee resettlement agency's operations in Arizona.

"That is the trillion-dollar question," Rippenkroeger said. "Nobody has a great answer right now in terms of exactly what we can expect. Honestly, it's the full gamut. Some folks forecast that there could be a decrease in the number of folks who are arriving, some folks say an increase and some folks could see a steady state."

The center is preparing for different scenarios, including the possibility of a sudden increase in migrants released by federal immigration authorities, Rippenkroeger said.

On average, about 100 migrants arrive at the center per day, Rippenkroeger said. In addition to migrants released directly at the center by federal immigration authorities, the center also receives migrants from shelters in Tucson and Yuma when they are at capacity as part of a regional collaboration between shelters, he said.

Title 42 ending: Gov. Katie Hobbs announces expanded migrant bus routes

As a result, the center is preparing for an increase in migrants released directly at the center by federal immigration authorities and migrants transported to the center from shelters in Tucson and Yuma, he said.

"It's possible that we may not see an increase in folks arriving directly to Phoenix, but there could be an increase in Tucson, and then we would be a part of trying to help balance the capacity throughout the state," Rippenkroeger said.

The center, which operates with a team of paid staff and volunteers, has asked volunteers to be on call to help staff the center in case there is a sudden increase in migrants arriving, Rippenkroeger said. Additional volunteers have also been lined up to transport migrants from the center to the bus station or the airport once relatives in the U.S. have purchased tickets for them, he said.

The center has also stocked up on food and supplies, he said. Officials at the center also are looking into housing migrants at a local community center or renting hotel rooms in case there is not enough capacity, he said.

He said the priority is to prevent migrants from being released directly onto the street due to a lack of space at shelters, a common occurrence before the Welcome Center opened in July 2019 .

The center is trying to avoid "having people released on the street, without support, without guidance, coordination," Rippenkroeger said. "This can be a safe, orderly process, and I feel like we've come a long way to ensuring that is the case for people who are traveling through Phoenix."

Iglesia Cristiana El Buen Pastor-Good Shepherd Christian Church

Iglesia Cristiana El Buen Pastor Church in Mesa typically receives about 32 migrants, mostly traveling together as families, every Thursday, said Hector Ramirez, the pastor. The migrants are dropped off at the church on a U.S. Department of Homeland Security bus.

But he expects the number could triple to 100 once Title 42 expires based on conversations with state officials, Ramirez said.

The church has converted rooms into dormitories and built showers to provide shelter for up to 98 people, Ramirez said.

The church is looking for more volunteers to help run the shelter when migrants arrive and to drive migrants to the airport, Ramirez said. The church is also asking for monetary donations and donations of food and clothing, Ramirez said.

The church is also seeking donations of sewing machines for a new project the church launched teaching migrants how to sew handbags and backpacks, Ramirez said.

People interested in donating can contact Ramirez at 480-343-7361 or by email at [email protected] . Donations can also be dropped off directly at the church, 950 W. 8th Avenue, Mesa.

Vineyard Community Church in Gilbert and the Grove in Chandler

The Department of Homeland Security drops off about 48 migrants every Thursday and Friday at Vineyard Community Church in Gilbert, said Magdalena Schwartz, who oversees Hispanic ministries. A bus also drops off migrants every other Wednesday at the Grove, a church in Chandler, she said.

Church members have informed immigration authorities that they will not accept any migrants above the number they are currently receiving, even after Title 42 ends, said Schwartz.

That is because the churches do not have the resources to accommodate additional migrants, Schwartz said.

"We don't have financial resources; we don't have the money" to do more, Schwartz said.

The churches do not have facilities to house migrants overnight, she said.

Migrants who arrive in the morning are transported to the airport or bus station the same day, she said. The church provides food and clothing and helps arrange migrants' travel to their destinations elsewhere in the U.S., Schwartz said.

Sky Harbor International Airport

About 200 passengers are typically dropped off at the airport daily by various nonprofit groups that provide transportation to migrants, said Julie Rodriguez, deputy aviation director at Sky Harbor, which is operated by the city of Phoenix.

Passengers are brought to the airport by nonprofit groups in Phoenix throughout the week.

The Regional Center for Border Health, which operates a migrant shelter in Yuma, also usually drops off asylum seekers daily. They typically already have plane tickets, she said.

"While most of the asylum seekers brought to Sky Harbor from Yuma are ticketed and prepared to travel, Sky Harbor staff meets them upon arrival and provides them assistance through the travel process, using translating services to communicate as needed," Rodriguez said.

The nonprofit groups typically notify the airport daily about the number of asylum seekers on the way to the airport, Rodriguez said. As a result, the airport should know about two hours in advance if the number is higher than usual and will increase staffing if needed, she said.

Airport officials have been meeting with numerous stakeholders, including government agencies and nonprofit groups, to monitor the situation, Rodriguez said.

Daniel Gonzalez covers race, equity and opportunity. Reach the reporter at  [email protected]  or 602-444-8312. Follow him on Twitter  @azdangonzalez .