New Residence Inn planned near airport

Seeking to capitalize on passenger growth and the success of the adjacent Fairfield Inn & Suites, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority hopes to develop a second hotel a short walk from the terminal at John Glenn Columbus International Airport.

Work on the new Residence Inn could begin early next year just north of the Fairfield Inn, and it could open by spring 2019. The airport board has yet to sign off on the project.

Robin Holderman, vice president of real estate for the airport authority, said the Fairfield Inn has been “very, very successful” for the airport authority since opening in July 2014. It was built on the former site of the Concourse hotel.

The building that is on the 3 acres pegged for the Residence Inn previously housed U.S. Postal Service operations and is to be torn down to make way for the hotel project.

Holderman said the airport is focused on increasing nonairline revenue. That helps keep costs reasonable for airlines operating at John Glenn Airport. It also helps make up for the flattening of parking revenue, a phenomenon at airports across the country it is attributed to the “Uber effect” that has travelers choosing to use car services rather than airport parking for longer trips.

The airport authority is recommending the development plan for the Residence Inn after hiring CBRE Hotels to study the prospects for the project.

The authority already has secured the right to use the Residence Inn by Marriott brand for the hotel, which would have approximately 130 rooms.

“The study found that this product type at the airport would be very successful and wouldn’t necessarily cannibalize the hotels already here,” Holderman said.

He said the extendedstay Residence Inn would be expected to attract both individual travelers and corporate business from local companies bringing people to Columbus for several days or longer.

John Glenn Airport, renamed from Port Columbus for the late astronaut and senator last year, had its second-busiest year in 2016, serving 7.3 million passengers. It is on track for 2017 to be its busiest year.