Bothell Lodging Tax Advisory Committee - September 15, 2026

The City of Bothell's Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (ELTAC) convened on September 15, 2026, primarily to review and discuss the current status and future strategy of tourism marketing funded by hotel/motel tax revenues. The committee received a detailed presentation from consultants Jennifer Jasper and Glenn, who reported on visitor spending, marketing effectiveness, and demographic insights from recent conversion studies. They highlighted $21.5 million in attributable visitor spending and 30,700 paid lodging nights over a two-year period, emphasizing the importance of maintaining and growing the website and newsletter subscriber base to sustain tourism growth. The committee also discussed the current contracts with marketing vendor Street Sense, including a two-year contract totaling approximately $412,000 covering brand strategy, content, social media, paid advertising, and website maintenance. Given the contract's impending end, members debated extending the contract for six months at a cost of about $133,000 to maintain marketing efforts during the development of a new tourism strategy. There was consensus to continue marketing activities with Street Sense on an interim basis while exploring additional consultant support to develop a comprehensive tourism strategy aligned with the city's 2040 vision. The committee voted to approve a six-month contract extension with Street Sense to ensure continuity of marketing services. Additionally, discussions included the potential for issuing an RFP to explore other marketing vendors and the importance of involving committee members in the strategic planning process. No new capital projects or purchasing decisions were made, but the meeting focused heavily on contract management, budget allocations, and strategic planning for future tourism marketing efforts funded by lodging tax revenues.