The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners on Thursday approved an additional 1% hotel lodging tax by a 2-1 vote.
A hotel lodging tax is an additional charge collected by hotels from guests when they purchase a room. Currently, the tax applies to all facilities with at least five guest rooms, including Airbnbs.
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The new tax will be added to the county's existing 6.5% hotel tax and be used to help support the renovation of the Duke Energy Convention Center and the convention center district. The revenue generated from the existing Hamilton County Lodging Tax and Cincinnati Lodging Tax are already going to the convention center project, which is estimated to cost $200 million. The additional 1% tax is expected to contribute $40 million toward that total.
This year, the county's revenue from its hotel tax is expected to hit a record high after dipping at the start of the pandemic in 2020.
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Commissioner Alicia Reece was the lone "no" vote. She says the resolution is incomplete as it does not include funding for a convention center hotel. "It's incomplete and it's not a win for taxpayers," she said.
