Site Selection Considerations

carmina.marcelo@gmail.
com
SITE SELECTION CRITERIA
MAJOR CRITERIA
SITE LOCATION
PHYSICAL LAND CHARACTER
EXISTING VIEWS
TOURISM ATTRACTION
MINOR CRITERIA
SITE TOPOGRAPPHY
SITE CONFIGURATION
EXISTING SITE ADJACENT FACTORS

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ZONING/ LAND USE

SITE SIZE AND CAPACITY
ROAD ACCESS
TRAFFIC CONTROL AND VISIBILITY
DRIVEWAY CONFLICTS AND INTERNAL CIRCULATION
PROXIMITY TO POPULATION TO BE SERVED
AESTHETIC VALUE
EXISTING DEVELOPMENTS
SUN ORIENTATION AND PREVAILING WINDS
UTILITIES AND MAINTENANCE

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AVAILABILITY OF UTILITIES
PROXIMITY TO FIRE RESPONSE SERVICE
SITE DRAINAGE
CONSIDERATIONS:
Site Inspection Checklist
The destination
Accessibility
o Ease and cost
o Proximity to airport
o Permits access by people with disabilities
o Adequate taxi/limousine service
o Sufficient parking space
o Availability and cost of shuttle service
o Adequate airport assistance
o Adequate number of flights into destination
Seasonality of destination (peak season vs. off-season)
Environment
o Availability of local attractions
o Shopping
o Recreation
o Restaurants
o Weather conditions
o Appearance
o Safety of area
o Economic health of community
o Reputation of area/facility for hosting meetings
o Support and services available from local convention bureau
o Availability of experienced suppliers, such as audiovisual firms, exhibit service
contractors, temporary help, and security
The facility
o Efficient, friendly doormen and bellmen
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Attractive, clean lobby
Registration desk easy to find: sufficient space and personnel in relation to guest rooms; ability
to handle peak check-in/check-out times for major groups; efficient front desk personnel
Modern elevators in sufficient number to serve guests when the facility is full
Accessible, fully-staffed message and information desk: rapid response to telephone
calls; quick delivery of messages
Availability of guest services: drugstores, banks, emergency services, giftshop,
concierge, safety deposit boxes
Comfortable clean rooms: furniture in good condition, modern bathroom fixtures, adequate
lighting, adequate closet space and hangers, smoke detectors, fire exit information clearly
posted, refrigerator and/or wet bar
Adequate lighting and cleanliness of hallways
Availability of beverage and ice machines on each floor
Service elevator accessibility
Size of standard room vs. deluxe room
Availability of towers or executive floor offering special guest services
Rooms equipped for people with disabilities
Number and types of suites and availability of suite floor plans
Reservations procedures and policies
Room category classifications (floor number, non-smoking, ocean view, etc.) and
number available in each category
Number of rooms available for early arrivals and late departures
Current convention rate and rack rate for individual guests (not part of the group)
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Date hotel will provide firm rates

Guarantee and deposit requirements
Check-in and check-out hours
Cutoff date for the room block
Check-cashing policies and types of credit cards accepted
Refund policy for cancellations
Number of non-smoking floors (standard and concierge)
Dates of any planned renovations
Any change in hotel ownership being discussed
Availability of a health club, hours, and cost
Telephone access charges (long distance, local, and calling card)
Key system for guest rooms
Adequate parking space (free or for a fee)
Hotel emergency plan (meeting manager should review it)
Hotel emergency exits clearly marked
Comparison of king-bedded versus double-bedded room categories
DESIGN STRATEGY:
Low energy, sustainable building

Develop energy systems
Create environment that is not compromised
Occupants
Outdoor community
Relaxation
Sustainable
Low visual impact
Local Materials
Aesthetically pleasing
Initial Research
Site selection
Access
Topography
Geology
Visual impact
Water supply
Waste management
Site Analysis
Climate
Local resources
Climate and Local Resources

Solar intensity
Passive Solar Design
Passive Solar Heating in winter (sunspaces, thermal mass)
Passive Solar Heating in summer ( thermal mass, night ventilation)
Wind speed and direction
Wind Driven Ventilation
Rainfall
Local Resources
Initial Conclusions and Future Projections

Targets for Future
Initial building design
Demand profile
Demand reduction
Control Strategies
Site Selection Considerations
Meeting space
Meeting rooms come in all shapes and sizes, and with a number of obstructions and
inadequacies. The meeting manager must evaluate the potential of each room under consideration.
They should measure the room, prepare scale diagrams, incorporate all equipment, staging and
decorations, and calculate the desired square footage per person for the required setup. Below are
some questions the meeting manager should be prepared to answer before the site inspection:
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How many meeting rooms will be required?

In addition to the formal program, will meeting rooms be needed for committee and
business meetings?
What is the estimated attendance for each session?
Are attendees to be seated theater style, classroom style, or conference style?
Are rooms with high ceilings and no columns or obstructions needed to
accommodate audiovisual presentations?
Is space needed in or near the meeting room(s) for refreshment breaks?
What pre- and post-meeting space is required for affiliated ancillary groups?
o Are meeting rooms accessible to people with disabilities?
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Food and beverage service

Public outlets
o Appearance and cleanliness
o Cleanliness of food preparation areas
o Adequate staffing at peak times
o Attitude of personnel
o Prompt and efficient service
o Variety of menus
o Cost range
o Reservations policy
o Feasibility of setting up additional food outlets for continental breakfast and quick
luncheon service if necessary
o Feasibility of using public food outlets for group functions during non-peak hours
Group functions
o Quality and service
o Diversity of menus
o Creativity or access to companies specializing in this
o Costs: tax and gratuities; projected price increase by the time of the meeting; extra
labor charges for small group functions
o Liquor laws (restricted times)
o Cash bar policies: bartender cost and minimum hours, cashier charges, drink prices
o Refreshment break pricing: guarantee policies, when a guarantee is required, number
prepared beyond guarantee
o Special services: tailored menus, theme parties, unique refreshment breaks, food
substitutions available, table decorations, dance floor
o Size of banquet rounds (eight people or 10 people)
o Room service: diversity of menu, prompt and efficient telephone manner, prompt
delivery, quality
Exhibit space
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Number of loading docks and proximity to exhibit area

Availability and location of freight receiving area
Location of utilities
Maximum floor load
Security of area
Location
exits
Proximityoftofire
food
service areas, restrooms, and telephones
Availability of sufficient time for move-in and move-out
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Reputation of facility regarding union relations

Decorations to enhance facility appearance
Availability of supplemental lighting
Proximity of exhibit hall to other portions of the meeting
First aid station
Availability of office space for exposition manager, service contractors, and suppliers
Crate storage areas and policies
Offices and other services

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Sufficient space for furniture and equipment necessary to perform the business at hand
Good lighting
Easy for attendees to locate
Adequate electrical outlets
Availability of house telephones or telephone jacks
Ability to secure space after hours
Is the hotel flexible regarding the tentative agenda, or is meeting space locked in by a
signed contract?
Are doors to meeting rooms wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs?
Equipment
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Tables: six feet long, eight feet long, schoolroom width (15-18), rounds, 60 inches, 72 inches
Chairs
POSSIBLE PITFALLS IN SITE SELECTION

Here are some issues we have seen through years of experience that can be major problems for a hotel
site:
Are there easements for access, views, drainage, or conservation that render the site
unacceptable?
Will a future road widening ruin the guest parking lot?
Are there wetlands or streams that cannot be disturbed?
Are tree stumps, trash or construction debris buried under what appears to be a perfectly
graded site?
Is there bedrock close to the ground surface that may require costly blasting?
Is the site near a major fault line or landslide area?
Was there an old gas station on the property that had leaky tanks that have contaminated the
soil?
Is there a historical structure that could be expensive to remove or cause controversies if

removed?
Are there large trees on the site that the local government will require an owner to replace if
removed?
Is there a floodplain on the site?
Does the local government restrict area that may require a parking deck instead of surface
parking?
Are there moratoriums on connecting to the sewer system?
Do the water lines have the available flows needed to fight fires?
Does the property have the correct zoning?
Are the underground or overhead utility lines that are in the way of my project?
Will the height of the building meet the zoning requirements?
Will the state or county department of transportation (DOT) allow driveways where theyre
needed?
Will the state or county DOT require expensive improvements to the street in front of the
property?

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carmina.marcelo@gmail.

PHYSICAL LAND CHARACTER

EXISTING SITE ADJACENT FACTORS

ZONING/ LAND USE

UTILITIES AND MAINTENANCE

Seasonality of destination (peak season vs. off-season)

Attractive, clean lobby

Date hotel will provide firm rates

Low energy, sustainable building

Climate and Local Resources

Initial Conclusions and Future Projections

Site Selection Considerations

How many meeting rooms will be required?

Food and beverage service

Number of loading docks and proximity to exhibit area

Reputation of facility regarding union relations

Offices and other services

POSSIBLE PITFALLS IN SITE SELECTION

Will a future road widening ruin the guest parking lot?

Are there wetlands or streams that cannot be disturbed?

Is the site near a major fault line or landslide area?

Is there a historical structure that could be expensive to remove or cause controversies if

Is there a floodplain on the site?

Are there moratoriums on connecting to the sewer system?

Does the property have the correct zoning?

Will the height of the building meet the zoning requirements?

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