The Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau, whose mission is to promote tourism and economic development while protecting and preserving our unique quality of life, is very supportive of all efforts to add new luxury hotels to our present limited accommodations base as a critical component of stimulating our local economy. We represent more than 500 local businesses and thousands of local resident employees and we are concerned about our local economy.
Ketchum/Sun Valley has lost more than 300 hotel "hot beds" and a major convention facility while other Western destination resort areas have added more rooms and higher-end properties. This change has clearly affected our ability to compete in attracting potential new guests and hurt us economically. The addition of these hotel/resort projects to the community is not out-of-control growth; this is simply catching up to the amount of visitor lodging inventory we had eight years ago.
As a community we can and should grow smartly. Fortunately, there are many new private- and public-sector infrastructure projects under way that will all help to revitalize our community for the benefit of locals and visitors alike. The proposed new hotels will add a desirable new type of lodging product to our accommodations mix, and will provide much-needed additional marketing resources to help bring in new visitors.
New visitors will bring more vitality and business to the area, as well as generate significantly more sales-tax revenues for the city. Those new visitors may also in turn decide to live and work here, bringing new businesses that can help diversify our overall economy. We will work with the hotels to have them actively involved in our new community-branding initiative so that the promotional message sent to potential visitors is inclusive and relevant to these new projects, as well as the many other unique aspects of our community.
We know the Ketchum City Council and the P&Z understand the need for more hotel rooms of this type in our resort community, and we appreciate the efforts they have made and continue to make as they work to address and balance all the issues involved. We also know this is not an easy task, and we intend to be there at the upcoming public hearings to support their efforts and make sure our voices, and those of our thousands of local resident employees, are heard.
Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau board of directors
Matt Engel - Engel & Associates, President
Cindy Forgeon - BW Kentwood Lodge, 1st Vice-President
Rob Santa - Sturtevant's Mountain Outfitters, 2nd Vice-President
Greg Peterson - Lallman,Felton,Peterson & Pierce PA, Treasurer
Steve Kearns - Kearns,McGinnis & Vandenberg, Inc., Secretary
Bruce Jensen - St. Lukes Wood River Medical Center, Past President
Steve Riccabona - Riccabona's Restaurant
Kurt Nelson - Ketchum Ranger District
Deb Fox - ResortQuest Sun Valley
Eldrige French - McCann Daech Fenton
Robin Reiners - Gallery DeNovo
Pam Morris - Idaho Mountain Express
Chip Atkinson - Atkinsons' Markets
Jim Super - Super Outfitter Adventures
Scott Mason - Ketchum Grill
Tom Nickel - Roosevelt & Sawtooth Club
Bob Nero - Tim Jeneson Insurance
Wally Huffman - Sun Valley Resort
Rebekah Helzel - ARCH Community Housing Trust
Doug Brown - Jane's Paper Place/RSVP
Anita Northwood - High Country Property Rentals
Bryan Furlong -First Bank of Idaho
Maurice Charlat - Community At Large
