SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) – The legendary Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Jose is undergoing a renovation and a rebranding as Signia by Hilton. The San Jose location will be the second Signia hotel in the world, but the first on the West Coast.
General Manager Jimmy Sarfraz said workers would be taking reservations beginning April 25.
Of course, to fill spaces, people need to find a reason to travel.
“San Jose has never been a top tourist destination, but we’re a busy business town,” Scott Knies, CEO of the San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA), told ABC7 News.
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Before the pandemic, the San Jose McEnery Convention Center hosted annual technology conferences, trade shows, and more.
Knies said the return of major events means businesses are getting a real shot at recovery.
“Right now a number of businesses are closed like Mondays and Tuesdays because it’s just not strong enough yet,” he added.
Without naming companies, Team San Jose, which manages the convention center and a number of other arts and entertainment venues across the city, said major conventions are “on the books.”
A search of a public calendar of events and event websites reveals that SiliCon, FanimeCon, the Crunchyroll Expo fan festival and more are already scheduled for later this year.
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The hope is that these events will bring caterers, customers and community members back and boost the local economy.
“Not only the hotels benefit from this, but also the congresses,” said Sarfraz. “It’s the restaurants, it’s the hairdresser, it’s the small shops.”
He added: “The rising tide lifts all boats, they say. And that is generally true.”
Sarfraz with Signia by Hilton also serves as the CEO of Team San Jose. He explained that even with today’s relaxed pandemic rules, people still have to be ready.
“There’s a difference between going out to eat and meeting 10,000 people,” he said. “And so I think there will be different phases of the return.”
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Team San Jose said smaller events have already returned, with hopes that business and convention travel will only increase.
Knies of the SJDA said: “When 2020 started, at the beginning of the year, we said, ‘Yes! This is the beginning of the Roaring 20s.’ Looks like we’re going to push the Roaring 20s a bit later into 2022.”
“The effect of this is not immediately visible. It just takes time,” Sarfraz told ABC7 News. “Because the conventions — some of them — remember they used to be fully booked like several years.”
“So we have to start this process now,” he said.
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