D.C. hopes possible ‘Caribbean-like’ resort would bring economic boost
Listen 6 min Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share
A wellness company will work with D.C. officials to find a location for an affordable, resort-like spa with amenities such as a water park, indoor pool and sauna, officials said Thursday. D.C. leaders and the U.S. branch of the Therme Group, a wellness company with global headquarters in Vienna, Austria, agreed to work together to identify a site that could accommodate a 450,000-to-600,000-square-foot resort, officials said.
“It’s really like nothing we’ve experienced: part spa, part water park but all fun,” Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said as she announced the partnership during the Destination DC Travel Rally in Franklin Square park. “These are sites that have something for everyone, our residents and visitors.”
Officials previously said the project could bring 5,000 construction jobs over two years but later revised that figure to 7,200. Additionally, they said it would add up to 800 permanent jobs and $1.1 billion in local nominal tax revenue flow over 25 years as the city seeks to attract more people to live, work and play in the District. Bowser said this project would “support local businesses as another world-class destination to add.”
Advertisement
The announcement comes as city leaders are working on a “Comeback Plan,” a five-year strategy to rebound economic development in the District after the coronavirus kept many residents, visitors and downtown office workers at home for years.
Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC, which promotes the city as a place to visit, said there were 20.7 million domestic visitors last year, up 10 percent from the prior year. “We are slowly but surely returning back to where we were pre-pandemic,” he said during the travel rally.
Bowser has made reinvigorating downtown D.C. a centerpiece of her agenda in her third term. Nearly 9 percent of the city’s total revenue last year was from large office properties downtown. But during the pandemic, those workers stayed home, resulting in millions of square feet of vacant office space and a huge dip in tax revenue.
Advertisement
Nearly half of local workers 16 and older worked primarily from home in 2021, making the District the top city for remote work compared with any other large city in the country, census data shows. In February, the city’s chief financial officer told city leaders that remote work posed a “serious long-term risk to the District’s economy and tax base.”
The “Comeback Plan” includes increasing the city’s population; keeping young people in the city; creating 35,000 new jobs in education, communications and design, consulting, hospitality and tourism, life sciences, and tech; increasing affordable housing; ensuring all Ward 7 and 8 residents live within a mile of a grocery store; increasing the share of minority-owned businesses; and adding 15,000 new residents to downtown, which includes adding 7 million square feet of residential space to neighborhoods that are home to only about 25,000 people.
“Therme’s unique facility and community-oriented approach will offer DC residents new health, wellness and recreation options, while also boosting economic development through new jobs and tax revenue and giving tourists one more reason to visit DC,” Sharon Carney, the chief of staff for D.C.’s deputy mayor for planning and economic development, said in a statement.
Advertisement
Therme Group’s mission is making luxury wellness affordable and accessible, Omar Toro-Vaca, the chief development officer for Therme Group US, which is headquartered in New York, said in an interview.
A D.C. facility could span the size of 10 football fields, with a glass enclosure for a water park, pools, birthday parties and a spa-like experience, Toro-Vaca said. Other amenities include waterslides, a wave pool and a pool bar.
“We’re a facility that many people choose to go to instead of going to vacation,” Toro-Vaca said. “We’re a lot more affordable than jumping on a plane and going to the Caribbean in the middle of winter. And you can have a Caribbean-like experience within a Therme for much less money.”
Although Therme officials have not yet done an in-depth pricing study for the possible facility, Toro-Vaca said they’ve been discussing a $45 admissions ticket with discounts for certain groups such as seniors and children. Overall, he said, the company aspires to “serve the community at large.”
Advertisement
Toro-Vaca said the company estimates the daily foot traffic at the facility could reach 12,000 visitors. It would be open for 12 to 16 hours a day, 365 days a year, he said.
“As Washington, DC continues to grow its status as a draw for global tourists, we must ensure that our residents see real and lasting benefits,” Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said in a news release. “That means focusing on community engagement, health and wellness, and developing good jobs for Washingtonians.”
The 12-month agreement between Therme and the city to identify a location includes a community engagement campaign on how to best bring an affordable wellness destination to the city, Toro-Vaca said. During this time, Therme will exclusively look for a site in the District as opposed to also scoping out a location in the greater region, according to a news release.
Advertisement
“Therme is absolutely committed to bringing good jobs and resources to the District at scale,” Toro-Vaca said during the rally. “We look forward to playing a big role in that comeback.”
Therme has four facilities in Germany and Romania. Its Bucharest facility opened in 2016 and sees about 8,000 people daily, according to the company’s website. Visitors have their choice of three main components: a water park with slides and themed rides; a relaxation area with a pool and hot tub surrounded by palm trees and a botanical garden; and the spa-like area with saunas, aromatherapy and infrared therapy. One full-day ticket for this upcoming Saturday with access to each section costs about $35.
Therme is looking to build facilities in the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, South Korea and other U.S. cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Dallas, Toro-Vaca said.
“We would love for people to come to Therme after work. We would love for people to come to Therme with their family on the weekend,” Toro-Vaca said. “It’s for everybody.”
correction A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that census data about the number of people working from home was from last year. The data was from 2021. This article has been corrected.
GiftOutline Gift Article
Source: The Washington Post
