Jan. 12–FLORENCE — More reasons to visit Florence has meant a growing number of hotels popping up in the area, and with a steadily increasing occupancy rate, more are on the way.

To date, there are 32 hotels, adding up to 3,408 guest rooms, in Florence with two more, TownePlace Suites and Home2 Suites, opening by year’s end.

Part of the reason for the hotel industry’s success here is Florence is being viewed more as a destination and stop-over place, said Holly Beaumier, director of the Florence Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The most recent data available from 2012 showed that on average, tourists spent more than $740,000 per day in Florence County. Of that, more than $160,000 per day was spent on hotels and lodging.

“We have the highest concentration of lodging along I-95 in several states,” she said.

And it hasn’t reached a saturation point because occupancy jumped 17 percent in 2012.

Anand Patel, president and COO of Florence hotel business High-Rise Hotels, said there has to be caution to not oversaturate the market because that can be bad for everyone. So that’s why he looked at what the market lacked.

Adding to his family of 13 hotels in North and South Carolina, Home2 Suites, an extended-stay Hilton product, will have 83 suites and represents a $9 million investment. The hotel, located across from the Florence Civic Center, is set to be completed in May.

“We felt that another overnight property couldn’t be supported. Home2 Suites is geared more toward the corporate traveler that needs to stay multiple nights or weeks at a time,” he said. “Well-known Fortune 500 companies are coming, and that’s really good for Florence.”

Ron Glancy, vice president of operations for Raines Hospitality and general manager Spring Hill Suites Marriot, said Florence is kind of the perfect storm for the hotel business.

“The two interstates (I-95 and I-20), a very strong corporate base, Darlington Raceway, Freedom Florence events, the new tennis center and Florence Civic Center all combine to have a successful hotel business,” he said. “Hotels don’t live from just one type of business.”

His group, more recently known for opening Hotel Florence downtown, just broke ground to build TownePlace Suites, another Marriott property on Hospitality Boulevard. TownePlace, also an extended-stay hotel with 88 suites, represents a capital investment of about $7.5 million and will be complete by the end of the year.

Locally owned Raldex Hospitality Group manages five hotels in Florence. Raldex Hilton Garden Inn General Manager Chad Patterson said while they don’t have plans to build any new properties in the near future, they are making improvements to their Hampton and Hilton Garden Inn properties to give them an updated look.

Patterson, also the vice president of the Florence Innkeeper’s Association and chairman of the Florence Convention and Visitors Bureau board. has hotel experience in much larger markets such as Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

He said it’s nice to see Florence grow and flourish since coming to town almost five years ago.

“People love Florence because it’s easy to get to, and people tell me all the time it’s because we’re friendly and hospitable,” Patterson said.