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Airport to close on-site hotel in 2010

Airport hotel a financial drain, city says

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By John Nolan, Staff Writer Updated 6:13 PM Monday, November 16, 2009

DAYTON — Dayton International Airport will close its city-owned hotel Jan. 31, 2010, which will leave the airport without an on-site hotel for most of 2010 until a planned Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites opens by the end of 2010, the city’s aviation director said Monday, Nov. 16.

The airport administration had previously considered keeping the Dayton Airport Hotel open until the new, privately franchised hotel was open. But declining revenues, along with maintenance needs and the lack of modern amenities or a reservation-system affiliation, at the 39-year-old hotel dictate an earlier closing, said Iftikhar Ahmad, Dayton’s aviation director. He estimated that it could cost the airport $50,000 to keep the old hotel running until the end of January, and decided to eliminate the “negative cash flow” that is a drain on the airport, he said.

Off-site hotels within 15-minute drives offer alternatives for travelers, Ahmad said.

The hotel will be torn down to make way for about 650 new economy parking spaces in what will be a credit-card payment lot, generating revenues and supplementing the airport’s current 1,350 economy parking spaces, Ahmad said. Competitive bidding will be scheduled to find contractors to demolish the building and install the parking lot there.

The airport also will :

Close the business traveler center located in Concourse C by Jan. 1, 2010, and add Sunday operating hours at the airport’s other business traveler center in the terminal building, which is more heavily used. Closing the less frequently used center will save the airport an estimated $80,000 annually, Ahmad said.
The space vacated by the business traveler center to be closed will be converted in early 2010 to a new, larger space for the United Service Organizations (USO), the private nonprofit entity which supports military personnel. The USO space will be relocated from the airport terminal lobby, so that military members will have more time to await their flights after passing the security checkpoint, Ahmad said.
A Starbucks coffee counter opened Monday in Concourse C. A redesigned, expanded Boston Stoker in the terminal building’s lobby opened earlier this month, offering tables and chairs for on-site consumption of coffee and other items.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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Dayton International Airport has a hotel? Who knew? Can't imagine why they would be suffering from declining revenue.

Really?
10:45 AM, 11/17/2009

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Only thing going on at the Airport Motel was a twice weekly Amway meeting trying to sucker people into the oldest pyramid scheme going. With all the job losses happening, there was probably quite a large turn out.

Amway - doing it to stupid people willing to part with their money longer than Obama Bin Laden has.

Migel
10:43 AM, 11/17/2009

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Has anyone ever eaten at the airport hotel?
Ugh! NASTY stuff.
And my server, good lord!
Obviously no dental plan if employed there.
I've stayed there on several occasions to catch an early flight, not wanting to get up so early and drive from B'creek and, they let you park in their lot for free while you're gone.
THAT part I'll miss.
The parking, NOT the restaurant.

Doc
9:50 AM, 11/17/2009

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Just shows that the government can't properly run anything...not even a no-tell motel.

gov can't
9:23 AM, 11/17/2009

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For the birthplace of aviation, this airport is a joke. Ify, go and manage the Springfield airport.

flipper
8:53 AM, 11/17/2009

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