Washington County Visitors Association Issues Sustainability Grant To Assist Hotels In Its Community

The Washington County Visitors Association (WCVA) has issued a sustainability grant to assist hotels in its community. The WCVA will commit $560,000 to be immediately dispersed to the 56 hotels in the Tualatin Valley. The organization expects to provide $10,000 to each hotel, which is the equivalent of 445 room rentals per night (county-wide) for 14 nights at an average rate of almost $90.00 per room.

“We face an unexpected and unprecedented threat to our local hospitality industry and our local economy, but together we can meet this challenge,” said Carolyn McCormick, president and CEO of Washington County Visitors Association. “This grant program serves as our investment in the future of the Tualatin Valley and its citizens. For decades, the local lodging business community has been a true partner in our efforts and it is our turn to support them. Immediate and bold action is needed now.”

The WCVA, which is funded by transient lodging taxes, established a reserve fund to see the Tualatin Valley tourism community through difficult times with an eye toward the future. With these funds, the WCVA will support the lodging business community and its employees with a grant program to sustain the Tualatin Valley’s lodging establishments. The sustainability grant program is designed to help lodging establishments for a 14-day transition period while they await State and Federal assistance for small businesses.

In order to receive the funds, the WCVA will seek a pledge from lodging managers and owners to use the funds in Washington County to:

Strive to keep their establishments open
Support their respective employees (payroll, employee retention, subsidize staff for loss of hours and/or income
Mortgage payments and property taxes
Utility payments including water, sewage, electricity, gas, TV and Wifi
Property Insurance
Marketing expenses and public relations

“The businesses and workers of the Tualatin Valley are active and innovative. Prosperous times will return,” said Dan Murphy, chair of the Washington County Visitors Association’s board of directors and co-founder of the Broadway Rose Theatre Company in Tigard. “Our job now is to sustain the infrastructure and labor force of the lodging business community as they work to regain their footing.  Above all, we share the belief that working together and supporting each other allows us to work successfully through the immediate challenges we are facing.”

The Tualatin Valley is scenically situated between Portland and the Oregon Coast in the Pacific Northwest. The valley is considered Portland’s backyard and is the gateway to the famed Willamette Valley wine country, Tillamook Forest, an array of outdoor recreation opportunities, scenic wetlands and wildlife preserves.

About the Washington County Visitors Association 

The Washington County Visitors Association (WCVA) is a non-profit destination marketing organization that serves the region’s tourism industry by actively promoting Oregon’s Washington County/Tualatin Valley as a desired tourism destination to business and leisure travelers, sports and event planners, meeting planners and group tour operators. The WCVA is funded by 2.33 percentage of transient lodging tax (TLT) generated and collected in Washington County. The WCVA markets the destination as “The Tualatin Valley.” For more information about the WCVA, visit tualatinvalley.org.

The WCVA is governed by an 11-member board of directors who represent local businesses. The current board includes:

Dan Murphy, Broadway Rose Theatre Company (WCVA board chair)
Tracy Reynolds, Courtyard by Marriott Beaverton (WCVA board secretary)
Darren Harmon, Bullwinkle’s Entertainment (WCVA board treasurer)
L. Wombacher, Hillsboro Hops (WCVA board chair-elect)
Les Davis, Lithtex Printing Solutions
Shalini Patel, La Quinta Inn Wilsonville
Charlie Sitton, Century Hotel and Hayden’s Lakefront Grill
Deanna Palm, Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce
Laurine Apolloni, Apolloni Vineyards
Kathryn Harrington, Washington County Commission Chair
Pete Truax, Forest Grove Mayor

For the latest news and information visit wcva.org.