HOUSTON -- One of the most commonly-heard complaints about the City of Houston is that there are not enough quality hotels downtown.

It’s one of the main reasons the city has not landed many major conventions at the sprawling George R. Brown Convention Center. The only hotel directly adjacent to the GRB is the Hilton Americas, which is routinely sold out during large conventions.

To help solve the problem, the Houston City Council has passed a plan that would offer tax incentives to developers that plan to build three-star-or-higher hotels within walking distance of the GRB. Under the deal, the City would effectively advance the developers part of the hotel/motel tax collections that the hotel would be expected to eventually bring in.

Hotels would only qualify for the advance if they met certain quality and occupancy thresholds.