Town of Yountville
Staff Report
6550 Yount Street
Yountville, CA 94599
Agenda Item #: 13A
Yountville Town Council Staff Report
DATE: September 15, 2026
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Beverly Wilmore, Deputy Director of Marketing and Economic Development PREPARED BY: Beverly Wilmore, Deputy Director of Marketing and Economic Development
RECOMMENDATION
Receive a presentation from the Deputy Director of Marketing and Economic Development regarding current economic development activities, initiatives, and partnerships.
DISCUSSION/BACKGROUND
The Town’s economic development efforts are focused on supporting a strong and resilient local economy while maintaining the quality of life and small-town experience valued by Yountville residents. Economic development in Yountville is about pursuing opportunities that support local businesses and Town revenues while remaining thoughtful about the needs of the residential community.
This work includes strengthening relationships with the business community, developing strategic partnerships, identifying opportunities to support local businesses, and positioning Yountville for high-value group and business travel. A central consideration across these efforts is maintaining a thoughtful balance between Yountville as a world-renowned destination and Yountville as a residential community.
Current efforts are centered around three interconnected areas: development of the Yountville Portfolio Initiative, building on the experience of the 2026 Liquidity Summit and its confirmed return in 2027, and continued collaboration with local and regional business and destination partners.
Yountville Portfolio Initiative
The Yountville Portfolio Initiative is a coordinated effort to position Yountville’s hotels, restaurants, wineries, and venues as a collective destination for meetings, events, and meaningful gatherings. The initiative recognizes that Yountville’s appeal is rooted not only in its hospitality businesses, but also in the scale, character, and sense of place that distinguish the community.
Rather than marketing individual businesses independently, the initiative is intended to demonstrate how Yountville’s hospitality assets can work collectively to serve corporate executive, C-suite, and incentive meeting clientele. The approach is intended to create economic opportunities for local businesses while balancing resident and community values.
Funded by the NVTID-Yountville Tourism Improvement District, the initiative began in July with Define Marketing, the strategy and branding agency selected to guide the work. The project is organized into three phases:
Discovery, Development, and Deployment. The Discovery phase has focused on stakeholder engagement and research to better define Yountville’s destination identity, target audiences, competitive landscape, brand positioning, and values.
As the initiative moves into development and deployment, additional components include interactive mapping, immersive 360-degree photography, and development of a digital platform and microsite. These tools are intended to give meeting planners and prospective group clients a more comprehensive way to understand Yountville’s accommodations, venues, and experiences as a connected destination.
Liquidity Summit and Group Business
The Liquidity Summit 2026 provided an early example of the type of group business that can utilize Yountville’s existing hospitality infrastructure without requiring a traditional convention facility. Held May 31 through June 3, the sold-out, four-day summit brought a selective audience of capital allocators and entrepreneurs to Yountville.
Activities were distributed throughout the community, allowing hotels, restaurants, and other local venues to participate in the event.
The summit generated significant lodging activity. All 10 Yountville hotels accommodated summit attendees, accounting for 866 room nights. An additional 570 room nights were accommodated by participating hotels in Napa, bringing the total to 1,436 room nights throughout Napa Valley.
The event also created activity throughout Yountville’s restaurant and hospitality sectors, including breakfasts, lunches, hosted dinners, receptions, private dining, and wine experiences. A special Dine Around incorporated four Thomas Keller restaurants in Yountville.
Town revenue data during this period reflected strong hospitality activity. May 2026 Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenue totaled $1,048,436, an increase of $48,612, or about 5%, compared with May 2025. This represented the highest May TOT collection recorded by the Town. Occupancy for the month was 70%, compared with 62% in May 2025.
June 2026 TOT revenue totaled $971,724, an increase of $193,526, or about 25%, compared with June 2025.
This also represented the highest June TOT collection recorded by the Town. June occupancy increased from 64% in 2025 to 73% in 2026, while the average room rate increased from $751 to $821. By the June reporting period, TOT revenues had reached almost 103% of the Town’s adopted fiscal year revenue estimate.
Second-quarter sales tax receipts also increased year over year, from $471,180 for April through June 2025 to $519,925 for the same period in 2026, an increase of $48,745, or about 10%. While these revenue periods overlap with the Liquidity Summit, the figures reflect overall economic activity during the reporting periods and should not be attributed solely to the event.
The Liquidity Summit is confirmed to return to Yountville May 23 through May 26, 2027. Seven Yountville hotels are currently confirmed, representing 1,063 room nights. The return of the summit provides an opportunity to build on the relationships and experience developed in 2026 and further establish Yountville within the highvalue group and business travel market.
Business Community and Regional Partnerships
Economic development work continues beyond individual events and initiatives. The Town is working with the Yountville Chamber of Commerce on local business opportunities, including the “Sip Yountville” Entertainment Zone and retail opportunities, while continuing coordination with Visit Napa Valley and the Yountville Portfolio Initiative.
Work is also expanding into markets that may support future group business development. Current activities include participation in the IMEX conference in Las Vegas and exploration of opportunities related to Napa County Airport. This work includes data tracking through FlightAware and Track Pack software, as well as partnerships with Skyservice, Atlantic Aviation, and NetJets.
Taken as a whole, these efforts reflect a deliberate approach to economic development that recognizes Yountville’s dual identity as both a residential community and an internationally recognized destination. The Town’s objective is to pursue economic activity that supports local businesses, contributes to the Town’s fiscal health, makes thoughtful use of existing hospitality assets, and remains compatible with the daily life of residents.
As new opportunities are evaluated, maintaining this balance will remain an important consideration. Yountville’s residential character is fundamental to the community and also part of what makes Yountville a distinctive and desirable destination. Economic development efforts should reinforce this notion while supporting a healthy and sustainable local economy.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Exempt per California Environmental Act (CEQA) Guideline, Section 15061(b)(3) as an activity that has no potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
Is there a Fiscal Impact? Yes
Is it Currently Budgeted? Yes
Where is it Budgeted? Yountville Portfolio Initiative - NVTID - Yountville Custodial Fund 22-1015 Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? Discretionary
Is there a Staff Resource Impact? Yes
ATTACHMENTS
1. Economic Development Update Business Report Presentation