The San Diego Chargers are hoping hotel guests will help foot the bill for a new downtown stadium, according to a financing plan the team is seriously considering.
The financing plan also involves the construction of a hybrid stadium and convention center.
Currently, hotel visitors have a ten-and-a-half-percent tax on their room. The Chargers want that raised another six-percent, with five-percent of that going towards the new stadium.
The remaining one-percent would go into a tourism marketing fund to promote San Diego. The goal would be to fill up the hotels with guests.
Attorney and San Diego State lecturer Seth Kaplowitz said the Chargers' plan has a lot of moving parts. He said it is too early to know if those parts will ever fit together, like getting hoteliers to support the higher tax.
"I see this as an uphill battle. That additional room cost is going to make tourists shy away from coming to San Diego," said Kaplowitz.
A Chargers source confirmed that they are "in the process of speaking with the entire range of parties" that would be involved with this project; however, "at this moment, that option does not have the support of key players."
As for the November ballot, because it is a citizen's initiative and not by the government, the Chargers may only need a simple majority to pass, but an official ruling on that still has to be determined.
The Chargers estimate the hotel tax would bring in $350 million. The team itself would contribute $350 million, and the NFL has promised $300 million, giving the project one billion dollars in funding.
The mayor's office said it would not comment until the Chargers proposal is officially released.
Councilman David Alvarez released a statement saying he had not seen the proposal, but called what he has heard so far "disturbing" and urges voters to approach it with great caution.
