Wyndham Hotels, parent company of the Wingate hotel in downtown Sylvania, took out a full-page advertisement in the Sylvania Advantage to publicize a recent action by the Sylvania City Council.
The ad points out that when the Toledo Convention Center was created, Lucas County Commissioners gave cities the opportunity to petition the County to retain 3% of the 8% hotel/motel tax that would be used to pay for the Convention Center. Toledo, Oregon and Maumee petitioned the County--Sylvania did not.
When the Wingate was opened, Sylvania did apply to retain the 3%, but was denied. Then, using typical politician "logic," the Sylvania City Council proposed that Wingate customers pay an additional 3% (over-and-above the County occupancy tax, which has now increased to 10%). Opposition to this proposal resulted in Sylvania putting a five-year moratorium on the additional tax. That moratorium has ended; and at the December 2012 meeting, the Sylvania City Council voted to impose the 3% additional tax.
Here are the taxes Wingate customers will be looking at:
10% (County tax) + 3% (Sylvania additional tax) + 6.75% (Sales tax) = 19.75% Total
The ad points out that this would be the highest total tax for a guest room--in the U.S.A.!