Yellowknife, N.W.T. - Hotel rooms in the capital could see a slight increase in cost, if the Yellowknife Hotel Association has anything to say about it.

They're proposing a two per cent levy be added to hotel room costs across the city, in order for them to generate about $500,000 a year.

The president of the association, Jenni Bruce, said they'd use the revenue to attract more conferences and meetings to Yellowknife.

"Specifically what the hotel association would like to see is, it would give us the funds to hire a person that would travel out to trade shows that specifically target people that are looking to hold their conferences and haven't decided where in Canada they'd like to hold it."

That representative could give a voice to the association, Bruce said, to tell potential clients that hotels in Yellowknife are fully capable of holding big meetings.

She said that the proposed levy would only add about three dollars a night to each room, and she doesn't think travellers would mind because most jurisdictions in Canada have a similar fee.

"I think most of them would be familiar with it, and I don't think it would even be noticed on most bills."

According to Bruce, more conferences could add up to $3.5 million into the local economy.

The hotel association will need a change in territorial legislation to get the green-light on the levy. Bruce hopes that'll happen by 2013.

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