Millions invested into Monterey County hospitality industry

UPDATE: Monterey County is experiencing renovations and new construction at a whole new pace, more than $100 million dollars’ worth.

“Making sure that everything is fresh and ready for our visitors is really important when we’re staying competitive with other destinations,” said Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Tammy Blount.

The Portola Hotel and Spa and the Monterey Conference Center are just a few out of at more than a dozen doing a refresh or total overhaul. Construction that’s causing a little bit of renovation fever in the hospital industry.

“People start to look at that and say they’re doing that, so we should jump on the bandwagon so to speak,” said Dough Phillips, Monterey Conference Center General Manager.

The Monterey Conference Center is doing one of the biggest revamps. Sixty million dollars for state of the art technology and a 21st century feel.

“The volume in the conference center was starting to wane,” said Phillips. “So we felt that we needed to do something to take it to the next level. When it’s completed its going to be a magnificent facility.”

Environmental upgrades and stylish decor are also on the do list for businesses. Social media is a big influencer.

“They can see pictures online, they can see peer reviews,” said Blount. “So it becomes even more important to become ready for those customers and understand what those expectations are. Then upgrade your product to be able to meet those expectations.”

It’s expected that all of the renovation taking place in Monterey County will benefit more than just the properties.

“The renovation will bring much needed tax revenue to the city,” said Phillips.

“Tourism is employing 24,000 people in this county and contributing $2 billion dollars a year to our local economy,” said Blount. “So the more benefit that we draw from that the more benefit that we have as citizens.”

Monterey resident Michael Hawkins said other than the noise from the construction he likes the direction the county is moving in.

“You can’t stay stagnant forever,” said Hawkins.

Most of the projects are slated for completion early 2017.

ORIGINAL STORY: An unprecedented amount of renovations are taking place in Monterey County.

The Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau says a domino effect has caused at least a dozen properties to upgrade their buildings.

But businesses most likely will not be the only ones benefiting from the construction.

KION’s Maya Holmes will have the full story at 5&6!