Shreveport/Bossier hits hotel room milestone

A significant milestone will be passed when the Hilton Homewood Suites and Garden Inn opens up next month in Bossier City.  The addition of the hotel and convention center's 291 rooms will push the combined number of hotel rooms between the two cities over 10,000. It's an important figure for luring major conventions to town.

"That's really exciting because it raises the level of the conventions that we could hold in Shreveport - Bossier," says President of the Shreveport - Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau's President, Stacy Brown.

Major corporate, medical, religious and social conventions often don't consider a destination without the ability to offer a 10,000 room minimum.  Brown hopes the newest marketing tool will help bring more tourism dollars to restaurants, shopping centers and local tourist attractions. 

"That's really positive money to our community that wouldn't otherwise be spent here," she says.

Alison Young, Assistant Director of Sales says the Hilton Inn and Suites is already capitalizing on being the first full convention center to open in Bossier City since 1984. "We really got excited because our booking pace started before we even opened, people really see the value of what we offer here with everything being on site," she says.