EDITORIAL: Stop Downtown Denver blackmailers — boycott greedy downtown hotels

Enough is enough. A small band of Downtown Denver hotel owners have gone too far in their attempt to derail Aurora’s Gaylord conference center project.

In what amounts to eco-devo extortion by a pack of hotel owners having a needless, unwise and uncontrollable tantrum, the group filed a lawsuit against the state and Aurora last week. These hoteliers are trying anyway they can to block construction of the Gaylord hotel and conference center in northeast Aurora.

It’s a shameless, misguided and futile effort that puts at risk thousands of jobs and potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in new tourism revenue to the region and the state.

These hoteliers can’t believe experts and even their own corporate masters that the Gaylord project will bring a net increase of tourists to the region because the customers who frequent these mega-conference-centers currently don’t come to Colorado for conference events.

There are a lot of hotels in Downtown Denver and across the region. It’s important to note that only a handful don’t get what Gaylord is really about, and choose to sue because they can’t get their way.

Just a few weeks ago, these hotel officials sent a demand to the state’s economic development chief, insisting that Gaylord proponents reapply for $81 million in state tax incentives because they said the project has changed dramatically since it was awarded incentives last year. What happened was that almost immediately after the state and $300 million in Aurora incentives were awarded to Gaylord to build the 1,500-room hotel and conference center south of Denver International Airport, Marriott hotels bought the Gaylord business. The project details are being refined as developers look for financing, but the scope of the project is intact.

It’s utterly perplexing. The Marriott folks now essentially own the Gaylord franchise. Experts there, at the state and across the industry agree that the Gaylord center will not jeopardize Downtown Denver hotel business. In fact, visitors will frequently stay a few days at Gaylord, spend money at Downtown Denver establishments, and even likely stay in Downtown Denver hotels, extending their mile-high stay.

But this group of mostly Marriott-chain hoteliers have tried several times to pull the plug on this project, which won the support and financial incentives of an exhaustive state economic development contest that sought out projects just like this one.

Now, they’ve gone to court with a futile complaint, hoping only that a pending lawsuit, as frivolous as it is, will cloud financial planning for Gaylord and trip it up.

Now it’s time for Aurora, and the taxpaying public that’s at risk for losing thousands of jobs and millions in badly needed tourism dollars, fight back against this gang of Downtown Denver thugs.

Boycott them. Tell everyone who’s tired of Denver’s arrogant gang of bullies to stay clear of these Downtown Denver hotels until they withdraw their punitive lawsuit and play fair:

Courtyard by Marriott Denver Downtown; Denver Marriott City Center; JW Marriott Denver; Renaissance Denver Hotel; Residence Inn by Marriott Denver Downtown; and The Ritz-Carlton Denver.

No conferences. No lunches. No short or extended stays. For out-of-town business and family guests, warn them off these places until they come to their senses.

Enough with playing the lawyer card when you don’t get your way. Enough with thinking that the region must kowtow to Downtown Denver business and economic interests, subsidized by millions of dollars in suburban taxpayer cash rolling into arts and sports arena districts.

It’s time to put these hoteliers and others in Denver on notice that the Front Range has outgrown Denver’s one-city rule, and if they can’t control their behavior, residents and businesses in places like Aurora will control it for them.