OED Presentation

City of Mesa — City Council (2026-05-04)

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Longbow Corridor:
Lodging Opportunity Assessment 
Visitor Data and Market Analysis
Jaye O’Donnell, Economic Development Director
May 4, 2026

Approach.
This deck reviews the regional lodging market, the submarket around 
the Longbow corridor, and the planning context for lodging at 5717 E 
Longbow Parkway. It describes what the data shows. It does not 
review a specific operator or brand, and it does not recommend a 
particular proposal.
Evidence used:
→
CoStar hospitality reports for Mesa and the Phoenix metro (April 2026).
→
Placer.ai visitor data for Mesa District 5, via Visit Mesa.
→
Esri Business Analyst demographics, 30-minute drive time at Longbow Golf Club.
→
Falcon Field Economic Activity Area Strategic Plan, City of Mesa.
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Policy and planning context.
→
The FFEAA Strategic Plan lists “hospitality, golf, 
sports and recreation” as one of the area’s 
untapped growth opportunities.
→
Hotels and motels are permitted uses in the 
Light Industrial and General Industrial districts 
that govern this corridor.
→
The same Plan lists the lack of a strong identity 
or “sense of place” as a barrier for the area.
What this means for the site.
The planning framework supports lodging on the 
Longbow corridor. A destination-caliber hotel fits 
the identified growth sector and helps address the 
“sense of place” gap the Plan calls out.
Falcon Field Economic Activity Area Strategic Plan (City of Mesa, 2014); City of Mesa Zoning Ordinance.
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Regional lodging supply.
Share of hotel rooms by chain scale. Mesa current inventory, Mesa with planned additions, and the Phoenix metro.
Phoenix metro
25.1%
45.5%
29.5%
Mesa + planned
45.6%
50.3%
4.0%
Mesa current
46.6%
50.0%
3.3%
Midscale / Economy
Upscale / Upper Midscale
Luxury / Upper Upscale
Mesa’s luxury and upper-upscale share is 3.3%. The Phoenix metro share is 29.5%. Planned additions bring Mesa to 4.0%.
Source: CoStar Group, Mesa and Phoenix Hospitality Reports, April 2026. Shares use CoStar/STR chain-scale definitions.
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Rate and occupancy.
Mesa chain scales fill at similar rates. Revenue differs because of price.
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
80%
Occupancy
ADR ($)
$52
$99
Upscale / Upper Midscale
Midscale / Economy
What the chart shows.
The two bubbles line up on the horizontal 
axis. Occupancy is 65.0% for midscale and 
economy rooms and 66.1% for upscale and 
upper-midscale rooms.
ADR differs by about $70 a night. RevPAR 
(bubble size) rises from $52 to $99.
Source: CoStar Group, Mesa Hospitality Submarket Report, April 2026. Trailing 12-month performance. RevPAR = occupancy × ADR.
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Where Mesa visitors stay.
Of 1.4M hotel cross-visits by out-of-market visitors who spent 3+ hours in Mesa, here is where they actually booked a room.
Mesa
39.4%
557,976
Scottsdale
14.8%
209,410
Phoenix
13%
184,245
Chandler
12.5%
176,142
Tempe
8.6%
122,098
Gilbert
6%
84,439
Other
5.7%
80,690
About 60% of those bookings happen outside Mesa. The most-visited hotel among Mesa visitors is Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale.
Source: Placer.ai, Mesa Visitors’ Top Places: Hotels & Casinos, April 2025–March 2026.
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Hotels lead Falcon Field's weekday trip mix at every dwell filter.
Top trip categories at the Falcon Field area for out-of-market weekday visitors (150+ mi from home), shown at two dwell thresholds.
Dwell ≥ 10 min broader visitor base
Hotels & Casinos
22.3%
Dining
15.4%
Shops & Services
10.1%
Shopping Centers
8.6%
Travel
6.0%
Dwell ≥ 150 min long-dwell subset
Hotels & Casinos
46.7%
Dining
15.9%
Shopping Centers
9.7%
Shops & Services
4.5%
Superstores
2.6%
Of the top 8 properties at dwell ≥ 150 min, ~95% of visit share is upper midscale or above. Home2 Suites Mesa Longbow (upper-midscale extended-stay, on-site at 
Longbow) leads at 27.8% | nearly 60% of all hotel visits in this segment.
Source: Placer.ai, Falcon Field Airport Visitor Journey, out-of-market weekday visitors 150+ mi from home (last 12 months). Trip-category percentages are prior-visit shares at each dwell threshold (top 5 categories per threshold). Property 
tier mix derived from the 150-min dwell prior/post compare.
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Submarket visitor profile.
Out-of-market visitors to District 5 (which contains the Longbow corridor) compared with the Arizona statewide benchmark.
Arizona (statewide)
District 5 visitors
Median household income
+$16K vs. statewide
AZ $87.1K
D5 $103.2K
Bachelor’s degree or higher
+10 pts vs. statewide
AZ ~33%
D5 ~43%
Share with HHI $150K+
Largest income bracket in D5
AZ ~24%
D5 ~32%
1.1M out-of-market visitors over the trailing 12 months, 3.4M total visits, 3-day average stay, Friday–Sunday peak.
Sources: Placer.ai, District 5 Out-of-Market Visitors, April 2025–March 2026 (Visit Mesa subscription). Average household income figures as reported by Visit Mesa based on that data.
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Site characteristics.
Features of the Longbow Parkway site that bear on lodging product fit.
Location and setting
→Direct frontage on Longbow Golf Club.
→Views of Superstition Mountain and 
visibility from Loop 202 and Longbow 
Parkway.
→Inside a 330-acre mixed-use business 
park in northeast Mesa.
Physical constraints
→About 2.37 usable acres.
→A 52-stall parking variance is required 
for a full-service concept.
These features fit destination-oriented concepts. They also fit a range of select-service, boutique, and golf-oriented products.
Sources: Elliott D. Pollack & Co., Longbow Business Park Hotel Analysis (March 2026); CBRE Hotels Advisory letter (March 2026); City of Mesa parcel records.
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Findings.
1.
The upper-end supply gap is real.
Mesa has a 3.3% luxury and upper-upscale share. The Phoenix metro share is 29.5%. Planned additions bring Mesa to 4.0%.
2.
Revenue favors upper-end rooms at the same occupancy.
Upscale and upper-midscale rooms run 66.1% occupancy at a $150 ADR. Midscale and economy run 65.0% at $80. RevPAR is $99 vs. $52.
3.
The submarket visitor is upscale.
District 5 out-of-market visitors show a $103K average HHI, a 43% bachelor’s-plus rate, and a 32% share at $150K+ income. Arizona 
statewide figures are $87K, 33%, and 24%.
4.
The site and the Plan both support lodging use.
Hotels are permitted by right. The FFEAA Plan names hospitality as a growth sector. Site attributes fit destination-oriented concepts.
The evidence points toward lodging demand at this site, with the strongest case at the upper-midscale tier and above.
Prepared by the City of Mesa Office of Economic Development, April 2026.
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Stay connected.
Jaye O’Donnell
Economic Development Director
City of Mesa, Arizona
Office of Economic Development
480.644.3457
Jaye.O’Donnell@mesaaz.gov
Mesa-Economic-Development 
Mesa Business Builder 
BetterLifeMesa
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