NORFOLK, Va. — Author's note: The video above is about ways to summer travel on a budget. It was published on May 1.
Norfolk International Airport is taking steps toward building an on-site hotel amid record passenger numbers and a post-pandemic comeback in air travel.
Officials with the Norfolk Airport Authority put out a request Wednesday for proposals from "qualified hotel operators, developers or teams interested in designing, financing, constructing, maintaining and operating a hotel."
The hotel would be located on a site northeast and within walking distance of the airport's departures terminal building, according to airport officials.
The authority wants the hotel to be "internationally branded, full-service, three-star or higher rated" and ideally include "meeting spaces with conferencing technology, a restaurant, as well as conveniences expected by airport patrons."
The desired services that officials listed include room service or 24-hour food and beverage access, a fitness center, a sundries store, and laundry facilities.
The proposal request comes as more than 333,000 people traveled through the airport in March 2023, which airport officials said was the busiest March in the airport's history.
The airport also saw a 13% growth in total passenger count in the January to February 2023 period when compared to the same time in 2022. During those months, more than 872,000 people traveled through Norfolk, compared to nearly 772,000 people during the January to February 2022 period.
Officials said February was also a record-breaking month for the airport, with more than 263,00 people traveling, marking the airport's busiest February in its history.
According to a request document, the proposals are due June 30, but officials will hold a mandatory pre-submission meeting on May 18 and a written question submission process before the due date.
After an interview process with the applicants, the Norfolk Airport Authority will pick its preferred proposal on Aug. 31 and will put it to a vote by the airport's Board of Commissioners on Sept. 28.