Accenture's Departure Could Mostly Affect Hotels

CEO and president Mark Ingrao says Accenture's departure from Reston in 2012 will have a minimal impact on the business community.

to 800 N. Glebe Rd. in Ballston, vacating the nearly 200,000 square feet of office space it has at One Freedom Square at

However, the consulting company has been phasing out the number of employees at the Reston location for a few years, Ingrao said.

"Accenture has been decreasing its presence here over the last couple years, and the building had been about one-third full," said Ingrao. "For them to leave here to go to Arlington is a blow, but from a leasing perspective, the building is almost completely leased out."

Ingrao predicts the biggest economic impact from the departure may be on hotels and restaurants. Accenture does a lot of regional recruiting and interviewing out of the Reston headquarters, so candidates usually stay in accommodations in Reston, Ingrao said.

Pete Ottenti, vice president of Boston Properties, the developer that owns One Freedom Square and several other town center-area office buildings, says there has been "tremendous interest" from other clients interested in leasing the Reston space.