H&LA’s David Sangree recently shared insights with the City of Conneaut, unveiling the results of a comprehensive hotel feasibility study conducted across four cities in Ashtabula County, Ohio. The study explored strategic lodging opportunities tailored to each community, providing recommendations to enhance the region’s hospitality offerings. By identifying the most promising hotel and lodging options, H&LA is helping Ashtabula County pave the way for increased tourism and economic growth.
Published by: Star Beacon/Christopher Gillett
Published date: April 2025
City leaders heard a presentation on potential lodging options available for the city Thursday.
The presentation was delivered by Hotel and Leisure Advisors President David Sangree.
H&LA was hired by the Ashtabula County Convention Facilities Authority to study county tourism and see what the best lodging opportunities are.
The study compared local lodging to similar tourism communities, such as Sandusky and the Finger Lakes in New York.
Like those communities, Ashtabula County largely draws its tourism from nearby big cities like Cleveland and Pittsburgh, Sangree said.
In addition to Conneaut, H&LA studied lodging possibilities for Andover, Jefferson and the Orwell-Rome area.
“The four communities offer very different levels of commercial demand and nature demand,” Sangree said.
There is potential, despite the county’s declining population, he said.
“A hotel is depending on visitors coming, and they come if there’s something to see, and something to do,” he said. “They don’t really care if the population’s declining a bit.”
Sangree said the study found a boutique hotel with a spa might be the best fit for Conneaut.
There are fewer spa resorts available to county residents right now, he said.
“The spa resort industry is targeting the top 20% of Americans,” Sangree said.
A branded hotel near Interstate 90 would be a good fit for the city, too, he said.
If the city goes that way, it should go for a hotel chain not already in the county, Sangree said.
Conneaut City Manager Nick Sanford said lodging is an issue that has been discussed for a long time in the city.
Under previous City Manager Jim Hockaday, Conneaut commissioned a study which found the city needed new lodging, Sanford said.
“The project didn’t see completion, because of unforeseen circumstances related to COVID,” he said. “The need still remains.”
Sanford is thankful to CFA for commissioning the study, he said.
CFA Chair Holly Mayernick outlined how the group can work with Conneaut.
“We can float bonds,” she said. “You have a port authority that can float bonds. You have a port authority that can help with that as well.”
The CFA can help with synergy too, Mayernick said.
“We want to make sure that this isn’t just a government project, and it has to have private investment … and it has to have that all-community support before we would ever want to spend a dime,” she said.
Sanford agreed the community should be brought in, he said.
Presentations were made to leaders in Andover last week, and Jefferson and Orwell Thursday.
Andover and Conneaut have larger lodging opportunities because they get more tourism, Sangree said.
“During the summer, [Andover is] a major destination for visitors, and there’s a lot of camgrounds over there … which really is much less in Conneaut, because it’s a bit more urban,” he said.
Sangree said there is less tourism in Jefferson and around Orwell.
“The other two could perhaps support smaller properties,” he said.
