In response to the public for education about our concerns, The Natchez Hotel, B&B and Dining Group has scheduled two identical educational presentations, and we plan to schedule more.

These first two presentations will be at Rolling River Bistro, 408 Main St., in downtown Natchez. One is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday. The second will be at 5 p.m. Monday.

Each is expected to be about one hour. The presentations will focus on historical and organizational aspects of tourism in Natchez from the late 1990s to present and discuss tourism funding, fair, equitable, open and transparent treatment of tourism operations, and other topics of immediate interest.

Highlighted will be the value of the lodging and dining local tourism partners who are the sole generators of the $2 heads-on-beds tax for tourism marketing, as well as the 3 percent lodging and the 1.5 percent restaurant taxes which pay for tourism operations and service of the Natchez Convention Center bond indebtedness.

Earlier this week, we expressed our concerns at the Natchez Board of Aldermen meeting, and we have insisted on participation in the process before the city and/or the Natchez Convention Promotion Commission takes any action in any form for the future management or sub-management of the Natchez Convention Center or any civic or visitors center.

Our group emphasized that hotels, bed and breakfasts and dining partners must have meaningful input, resulting in complete transparency and fair treatment under any management agreement executed. Our group believes that all terms of any agreement for management or sub-management of the Natchez Convention Center or any civic or visitors center must be available for public inspection and public comment, properly and publicly noticed, prior to executing any agreements. Our group is pleased to announce that in two days it collected over 300 signatures in support of its efforts, and the group plans to continue to collect signatures until its concerns are fully addressed to its complete satisfaction.

Please join us Saturday or Monday. We look forward to seeing you then. Earlier this week, our group asked the mayor and aldermen to schedule and conduct a series of public hearings, properly noticed, but as of this date, no public hearings have been scheduled, so our group is leading the charge that the former commissioners began. We have tremendous community support behind us.

 

Patricia Lozon is the General Manager of Hampton Inn and represents the Natchez Hotel, B&B and Dining Group.