Convention Center hotel part of 10-year destination master plan

Downtown Albuquerque in many ways is the heart of the city.

The Albuquerque Convention Center is the biggest venue in the heart of the city, but it's empty most days of the year. There's a proposal to change that.

Visit Albuquerque and Jones Lang LaSalle partnered together to make a plan to boost Albuquerque's tourism, which was unveiled in November in a master plan report. Part of the plan proposes building a new hotel to cater to the convention center so it can draw bigger events.

The Albuquerque Convention Center is a problem for the city. As part of developing the master plan, JLL analyzed 12 convention centers in similar markets to Albuquerque. The convention centers were ranked on exhibit space, ballroom space and the number of hotel rooms within walking distance. New Orleans was at the top of the list. Albuquerque was ranked last.

Venues and facilities were reviewed as part of the process, said Tania Armenta, president and CEO of Visit Albuquerque.

“The convention center facility is critically important to the work we do,” said Armenta.

The Downtown area surrounding the Albuquerque Convention Center is “very important” to Albuquerque tourism, said Dan Fenton, the managing director at JLL, a global tourism and destination advisory company. He has been working with Visit Albuquerque for the past 15 months to put together a 10-year destination plan.

The ACC is underutilized, with the occupancy rate of the building averaging 30%, according to the 10-year destination master plan report.

“The key message from the 30% piece is more about the fact that there is availability,” said Fenton.

There was a mismatch between the capacity of the ACC and the amount of hotel rooms available within a walkable distance, according to JLL.

Some events are not considering Albuquerque right now because it doesn't have the hotel capacity for a convention center as large as the ACC, Armenta said.

A new "headquarter hotel" was a proposal in the 10-year plan. A headquarter hotel is a hotel that would have enough rooms available for people who are attending events and conventions at the ACC.

“We would want to make sure that we could accommodate groups that needed 750 to 1,000 rooms,” said Fenton.

The plan states a minimum capacity for the new hotel should be 500 rooms, and it should be adjacent to or very near the ACC.

“What the plan calls for is to initiate a thorough feasibility study and site selection process,” said Armenta.

Fenton said when he visited Albuquerque, he stood on top of the ACC parking garage and stared at the Sandia Mountains.

“It is a spectacular view," he said.

Imagine a hotel room with floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the mountains. That should be the aspiration of a hotelier, Fenton said.

Another aspiration is to get more sports events held at the ACC. The USA Track and Field held indoor championships at the venue, most recently in February 2024.

“A focal point for our organization is to bring sports tourism to Albuquerque,” said Armenta.

While scoring more sports events is a goal of the ACC, it is also aiming for concerts, exhibitions and community gatherings as well as business meetings. Diversification in offerings is ideal.

One of the last notes outlined in the plan for the ACC is walkability.

“Walkability is a crucial component of a successful meeting and event destination today,” said Armenta.

Fenton said when someone is at a convention and staying at a hotel, they want something they can do in the evening and they want to have multiple choices. Those choices need to be close to their hotel or have seamless travel.

“A convention attendee knows where they can jump onto a shuttle or trolley,” said Fenton.

Visit Albuquerque and other organizations all have to be on the same page when it comes to walkability and public transportation, said Fenton.

“It takes advocacy, it takes unification,” he said.

While the 10-year destination master plan may still be in the planning stages, Fenton believes Albuquerque has an advantage over other cities — good weather, natural beauty and culture.

“When someone says Albuquerque, New Mexico, something comes to mind, right?" Fenton said. "And that is invaluable."