NATCHEZ &8212; Walter Tipton has a list of conventions that would book Natchez if the city had a convention center hotel.

So Tipton is thrilled with the city&8217;s decision to choose New Orleans developer Tom Bauer to build a hotel across the street from the Natchez Convention Center.

But that list is a &8220;drop in the bucket&8221; compared to what Tipton believes Bauer and his experienced partners can bring to Natchez tourism.

Paul Buckley, former manager of the New Orleans Hilton, has tremendous convention experience, Tipton said, and Buckley will be working with Bauer on the Natchez hotel property.

Bauer&8217;s hotel &8212; likely a Hampton Inn &8212; would be 120 rooms, with a $13 million investment.

Aldermen on Tuesday accepted Bauer&8217;s proposal from among three in the running for a convention center hotel. If the deal goes through, the city would sell the property to Bauer&8217;s company for $525,000.

Tipton said a hotel &8212; and even the promise of a hotel &8212; immediately puts Natchez in contention for larger conventions.

&8220;Certainly we can expect to pop up into the 450- to 600-person range,&8221; Tipton said.

The tourism department can more aggressively market the convention center to regional meetings as well as state meetings, which make up about 80 percent of the city&8217;s business right now, Tipton said.

The largest group Natchez has hosted in the convention center was the Episcopal diocese last year, Tipton said, a group that numbered about 1,000 people.

But he said conventions make an impact not just in the number of participants but in how many days they stay and how much activity &8212; such as tours and meals in restaurants &8212; in which they engage.

Tipton said bookings for 2006 already exceed those in 2005, and the planned meetings are larger and more profitable.

But conventions planning to use a new hotel would have to wait at least until next year. Bauer has said he estimates a spring 2007 grand opening if construction can begin in May.

The city is hoping to present an option agreement to Bauer in 30 to 60 days, City Attorney Walter Tipton said.

Brown said late this week that the Mississippi Department of Archives and History wants to do an archeological survey of the site, which Brown hopes would be completed by February.

But Brown said he does not anticipate any problems with that survey.