November 29 – Downtown Albuquerque is in many ways the heart of the city.
The Albuquerque Convention Center is the largest venue in the heart of the city, but it is empty most days of the year. There is a proposal to change that.
Visit Albuquerque and Jones Lang LaSalle worked together to create a plan to boost tourism in Albuquerque, which was unveiled in a master plan report in November. Part of the plan proposes building a new hotel to accommodate the convention center so it can attract larger events.
The Albuquerque Convention Center is a problem for the city. As part of the master plan development, JLL analyzed twelve convention centers in similar markets to Albuquerque. The convention centers are organized by exhibit space, ballroom space and the number of hotel rooms within walking distance. New Orleans topped the list. Albuquerque ranked last.
Locations and facilities were assessed as part of the process, said Tania Armenta, president and CEO of Visit Albuquerque.
“The convention center facility is critical to the work we do,” Armenta said.
The downtown area around the Albuquerque Convention Center is “very important” to Albuquerque tourism, said Dan Fenton, managing director of JLL, a global tourism and destination consulting firm. He has spent the past fifteen months working with Visit Albuquerque to develop a ten-year zoning plan.
The ACC is underutilized, with building occupancy averaging 30%, according to the ten-year master plan report.
“The main message of the 30% piece is more about the fact that there is availability,” Fenton said.
According to JLL, there was a mismatch between the capacity of the ACC and the number of available hotel rooms within walking distance.
Albuquerque is not currently being considered for some events because it does not have the hotel capacity for a convention center as large as the ACC, Armenta said.
A new “headquarters hotel” was a proposal in the 10-year plan. A headquarters hotel is a hotel that has enough rooms available for people attending events and conferences at the ACC.
“We want to make sure we can accommodate groups that need 750 to 1,000 rooms,” Fenton said.
The plan states that the minimum capacity for the new hotel should be 500 rooms, and that it should be located next to or near the ACC.
“What the plan requires is to initiate a thorough feasibility study and site selection process,” Armenta said.
Fenton said that when he visited Albuquerque, he stood on top of the ACC parking garage and stared at the Sandia Mountains.
“It’s a spectacular view,” he said.
Imagine a hotel room with floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the mountains. That should be a hotelier’s ambition, Fenton said.
Another ambition is to have more sporting events take place at the ACC. The USA Track and Field held indoor championships at the location, most recently in February 2024.
“A focal point for our organization is bringing sports tourism to Albuquerque,” Armenta said.
While scoring more sporting events is a goal of the ACC, it also focuses on concerts, exhibitions, community gatherings and business meetings. Diversification in the offering is ideal.
One of the final comments in the plan for the ACC is walkability.
“Walkability is a critical component of a successful meeting and event destination today,” says Armenta.
Fenton said when someone is at a conference and staying in a hotel, they want something they can do in the evening and have multiple choices. Those choices should be close to their hotel or travel seamlessly.
“A conference attendee knows where to hop on a shuttle or trolley,” Fenton said.
Visit Albuquerque and other organizations all need to be on the same page when it comes to walkability and public transportation, Fenton said.
“It takes advocacy, it takes unification,” he said.
While the master plan for the 10-year destination 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.”
