by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Next Thursday will mark the one year anniversary for the Adam’s Mark Hotel. And what a year it’s been.
The hotel opened about a month late and under a shroud of controversy. A lawsuit filed by the NAACP on behalf of several African-Americans stemming from a spring break incident in Daytona Beach a few years earlier made the entire St. Louis-based chain the subject of national protests and picket lines.
In fact, on Feb. 28, 2001, there were protesters outside the Jacksonville hotel despite the fact there was a group of African-American preachers checking into the hotel.
Toss in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, which put the tourism industry nationwide into a tailspin, and it’s not hard to see why 2001 may go down as a year to ignore for the Adam’s Mark.
Let’s not forget the $125 million, 966-room hotel has been under scrutiny since the day ground was broken thanks to about $24 million worth of economic incentives granted by City Council. And, current general manager, Don Dickhens, is the sixth GM in two years for the hotel.
“It was not a good year to open a hotel,” said Dickhens.
Despite all the first-year obstacles, things are improving as the Adam’s Mark enters its second year. In late July, the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, led by Chief Domestic Strategist Addie Richburg, will bring well over 1,000 guests to the hotel. The five-day conference will feature African-American leaders from all over the country as well as several big name musical acts. The Rev. Al Sharpton and The Temptations are slated to make appearances.
This week, the North American Folk Alliance has booked over 2,700 room-nights for a national conference that will last all weekend and into early next week.
Late next week, LensCrafters will invade the Adam’s Mark with over 3,000 room nights booked.
In March, the Adam’s Mark will host two other large groups. AmSouth Bank will bring so many folks to town that Laura Cagan, marketing director for the hotel, said she had to send some of the guests to the Omni. Also, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, based in Alexandria, Va., has booked over 3,000 room nights next month.
Looking into the distant future, the Adam’s Mark has been tabbed by the National Football League as the media headquarters for the 2005 Super Bowl, which Jacksonville will host.
While all of those groups will only put a dent in the slow start and the damage done by the terrorist attacks, they will go a long way to helping the Adam’s Mark become an established name both locally and nationally.
“It was a tough time, but I’m proud of that hotel,” said Tommy Monroe, vice president of corporate affairs for Adam’s Mark. “We came a long way last year and the future looks bright. The potential is unlimited and it was good for us and good for the community.”
The Jacksonville Adam’s Mark is one of the few hotels within the chain that was actually built from the ground. Monroe said a majority of the 24 Adam’s Marks across the country are remodels of hotels purchased by Adam’s Mark, which is owned by the construction firm HBE.
Monroe said he remembers coming to Jacksonville periodically during construction and getting the satisfaction of seeing the hotel go from an empty lot to a finished product.
“On my first trip to Jacksonville I was staying at the Omni Hotel, which is a lovely hotel, and I could look out my window and see the construction,” said Monroe. “I was proud of the way we were able to come together with the community. And, there were questions when we opened. Everyone was not in the same frame of mind about wanting us there. I’m glad we worked through all of that.”
Monroe admits that the hotel’s first year could have been better. Between the economic downturn, protests and attacks, the numbers don’t reflect original expectations. However, he does figure the hotel will rebound nicely in 2002.
“I don’t know if it will be a breakout year, but it is a year of recovery not just at Adam’s Mark, but throughout the hotel industry as a whole,” said Monroe. “We had a double whammy last year with the economy, Sept. 11 and the boycott. But things go in cycles and things will come back.”
When Monroe looks at the Jacksonville Adam’s Mark he sees the chain’s third-biggest hotel and one that reflects the chain’s image almost to a ‘T’: that of a professionally run hotel with a culturally diverse staff from top to bottom.
“The diversity within that hotel is astonishing and when you walk in the front door, you see it,” said Monroe. “From the employees to the vendors to the suppliers, we wanted to make sure the hotel reflected the community.”