Late check-in

Developers are interested in building a convention hotel at the River Center, and one could be chosen in less than two years.

Hotel developers are more than curious about building a convention hotel in downtown Baton Rouge. They're interested, and one could be selected in less than two years.

That's the word from Butch Spyridon, who spent years leading Nashville's convention bureau and now has a contract with the parish government to help rethink the River Center and bring a hotel to it.

Why it matters: A convention hotel is about more than economic development. It gives the region a place to gather and tends to pull other downtown development along with it.

The details: Baton Rouge is something of the odd city out. Spyridon says cities its size usually have a hotel attached to their convention center. Tulsa has one. So do Greenville, South Carolina, and Omaha, Nebraska. So do all four of Alabama's largest cities.

• The hotel envisioned for the Raising Cane's River Center property would have 350 rooms and rise higher than any other hotel in downtown, with a sweeping view of the Mississippi River.
• Spyridon would rather see 400 rooms. That would leave plenty of rooms for conventioneers while letting the owner hold some back for its own use, like preferred guests.

The bigger picture: Convention planners want convenience, and a hotel next door delivers it, Spyridon says. Attendees walk instead of paying for a rideshare or a cab. They're steps from the sessions. And they can wander downtown to unwind or get in a run along the river.

• Downtown stands to gain, too. Restaurants usually follow a convention hotel. If the convention hotel proves the market, more hotels would follow. More rooms mean more taxes for the parish and economic development of downtown.
• The hotel would also belong to the rest of the region, a gathering place with a rooftop pool, restaurants and evening events.

The backstory: Spyridon is working with Visit Baton Rouge on a project to remake the River Center. Today, a VBR panel will hear from the two finalists to operate it: current manager Legends Global and Oak View Group, a central player in the proposed LSU arena.

Spyridon says both management firms have the money to finance a hotel and may be interested in doing so. He has also talked with two established developers who want to build it, and at least one wants to dig deeper into the market.

What he said: "The key is doing it right. It needs to be a four-star, full-service hotel with adequate meeting space to complement the River Center, with features that address the needs of Baton Rouge, with access to the river and to entertainment. A gathering place for downtown."

The bottom line: Baton Rouge has spent years talking about a convention hotel, while other cities have built them. A hotel at the River Center would close that gap. Done right, it could also give the residents more reasons to head downtown and spark riverfront projects in the recently released Plan Baton Rouge III.