The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on Thursday announced an early step toward the potential development of a new hotel near the main terminal of Washington Dulles International Airport.

The process, which began with a “request for information” to gather ideas and gauge interest from real estate developers and the hospitality industry, is seeking  input on the possible development of three sites – one adjacent to the terminal building, and two larger sites within a two-to-five minute drive from the terminal.

“A hotel facility at or near the main terminal is an increasingly common feature of large international airports across the United States and around the world,” said Jerome L. Davis, the Airports Authority’s executive vice president and chief revenue officer. “Passengers who travel extensively have come to expect upscale hotels at major international gateway airports, and we intend to do everything we can to provide world-class service and facilities at Dulles.”

The Airports Authority’s request for information will seek industry comment regarding site and building characteristics, hotel quality, price points, number of rooms, meeting and convention capacity, restaurant facilities, and similar items.

The three sites under consideration are a 2.6-acre tract just to the east of the main terminal building; a 5.6-acre parcel adjacent to the parking structure facing the main terminal; and a 13.7-acre lakefront site near the existing Dulles Airport Marriott hotel, which has a lease to operate at Dulles through 2027.

“We seek and appreciate the ideas and perspectives of the hospitality industry as we look at the feasibility of an additional hotel site at Dulles and determine the market demand and other key factors needed for making a final decision,” Davis said. “Marketplace and industry perspective will help us make the best decision for the airport and its competitive position -- and for our passengers.”

Responses to the request for information will be due by June 16. The request for information document can be found on the Airports Authority website by clicking here.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, established in 1987 by the governments of Virginia and the District of Columbia, manages and operates Washington’s Ronald Reagan National and Dulles International airports, which together serve more than 40 million passengers a year. The Airports Authority also operates and maintains the Dulles Airport Access Road and the Dulles Toll Road and manages construction of the Silver Line project, a 23-mile extension of the Washington region’s Metrorail system into Loudoun County, Virginia. No tax dollars are used to operate the toll road, which is funded by toll revenues, or the airports, which are funded through aircraft landing fees, rents and revenues from concessions. The Silver Line construction is funded by a combination of toll-road revenues, airport contributions and federal, state and local government appropriations. The Airports Authority is led by a 17-member board of directors appointed by the governors of Virginia, Maryland, the mayor of Washington, D.C., and the president of the United States.