Hotel would benefit expo center (The Springfield News-Leader)
Hammons Co. opposes proposed upscale hotel, prefers connecting to University Plaza.
Didi Tang News-Leader
The Springfield Expo Center needs more hotel rooms and more meeting space to stay competitive in attracting conventions and meetings, said Susan Wade, spokeswoman for the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"Looking at our facilities and comparing them to our competitors, we need another hotel in the downtown area, ideally to have one attached to the expo center," Wade said.
The comments came days after four local groups proposed various uses for a 1.7-acre vacant strip between the expo center and the Jordan Valley Car Park on St. Louis Street.
One major disagreement for possible land use is between HCW Evergreen and John Q. Hammons Co.
A major hotel development and management company, John Q. Hammons Co. believes a hotel is a wrong choice for the location.
Instead, it prefers to connect the expo center to the University Plaza Hotel, a Hammons property, across the street and expand the hotel as needed.
But Rick Huffman of HCW Evergreen said a 300-room upscale hotel would work for the site.
"We're taking the financial risks," said Huffman, who also developed Branson Landing. "If it doesn't work, shame on us."
Scott Tarwater, senior vice president for John Q. Hammons Hotels and Resorts, shook his head.
"It's not there's no demand, but there's not enough demand," Tarwater said.
As Huffman's proposal stands now, 300 more rooms in downtown Springfield would add 109,500 more room-nights to the available supply in downtown Springfield, Tarwater said.
At the proposed occupancy rate of 65 percent and average daily rate of $150, Huffman's proposal would need tens of thousands of guests willing to pay $90 more each night to stay in Springfield, Tarwater said.
The occupancy rate for Springfield hotels was 58 percent in 2006 with an average room rate of $63.40.
"Where is (the new demand) going to come from?" Tarwater asked.
Not all hotels and motels in Springfield participated in the survey for occupancy rates and room prices, and higher-end hotels tend to have higher occupancy rates, Wade said.
About half the city's 5,900 or so hotel rooms are concentrated in the Interstate 44/Glenstone Avenue area, and only 392 hotel rooms (272 at the University Plaza Hotel and 120 at Holiday Inn Express) and a few bed and breakfast rooms are available near the expo center, Wade said.
Among a multitude of factors a meeting planner often considers in selecting a host city for a convention are whether attendees can stay in one hotel, availability of ballrooms, break-out rooms and kitchen services, Wade said.
Sometimes meeting planners prefer to have the facilities attached to the convention center, and sometimes in walking distance, she said.
Compared to Overland Park, Kan., and St. Charles, Springfield has a comparable exhibition hall but runs behind in its offerings of hotel rooms, break-out meeting spaces and on-site kitchen services, Wade said.
Branson, which will open its own convention center this summer, will pose a real threat to Springfield, Wade said.
"When it comes to business, it's business," she said.
Either Huffman's proposal for a new hotel or Hammons' plan to connect his hotel to the center could work, Wade said.
The bottom line? "We need more hotel rooms near the expo center to compete, and (more) ballroom space will be nice, too," she said.
Hammons Co. opposes proposed upscale hotel, prefers connecting to University Plaza.
Didi Tang News-Leader
The Springfield Expo Center needs more hotel rooms and more meeting space to stay competitive in attracting conventions and meetings, said Susan Wade, spokeswoman for the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"Looking at our facilities and comparing them to our competitors, we need another hotel in the downtown area, ideally to have one attached to the expo center," Wade said.
The comments came days after four local groups proposed various uses for a 1.7-acre vacant strip between the expo center and the Jordan Valley Car Park on St. Louis Street.
One major disagreement for possible land use is between HCW Evergreen and John Q. Hammons Co.
A major hotel development and management company, John Q. Hammons Co. believes a hotel is a wrong choice for the location.
Instead, it prefers to connect the expo center to the University Plaza Hotel, a Hammons property, across the street and expand the hotel as needed.
But Rick Huffman of HCW Evergreen said a 300-room upscale hotel would work for the site.
"We're taking the financial risks," said Huffman, who also developed Branson Landing. "If it doesn't work, shame on us."
Scott Tarwater, senior vice president for John Q. Hammons Hotels and Resorts, shook his head.
"It's not there's no demand, but there's not enough demand," Tarwater said.
As Huffman's proposal stands now, 300 more rooms in downtown Springfield would add 109,500 more room-nights to the available supply in downtown Springfield, Tarwater said.
At the proposed occupancy rate of 65 percent and average daily rate of $150, Huffman's proposal would need tens of thousands of guests willing to pay $90 more each night to stay in Springfield, Tarwater said.
The occupancy rate for Springfield hotels was 58 percent in 2006 with an average room rate of $63.40.
"Where is (the new demand) going to come from?" Tarwater asked.
Not all hotels and motels in Springfield participated in the survey for occupancy rates and room prices, and higher-end hotels tend to have higher occupancy rates, Wade said.
About half the city's 5,900 or so hotel rooms are concentrated in the Interstate 44/Glenstone Avenue area, and only 392 hotel rooms (272 at the University Plaza Hotel and 120 at Holiday Inn Express) and a few bed and breakfast rooms are available near the expo center, Wade said.
Among a multitude of factors a meeting planner often considers in selecting a host city for a convention are whether attendees can stay in one hotel, availability of ballrooms, break-out rooms and kitchen services, Wade said.
Sometimes meeting planners prefer to have the facilities attached to the convention center, and sometimes in walking distance, she said.
Compared to Overland Park, Kan., and St. Charles, Springfield has a comparable exhibition hall but runs behind in its offerings of hotel rooms, break-out meeting spaces and on-site kitchen services, Wade said.
Branson, which will open its own convention center this summer, will pose a real threat to Springfield, Wade said.
"When it comes to business, it's business," she said.
Either Huffman's proposal for a new hotel or Hammons' plan to connect his hotel to the center could work, Wade said.
The bottom line? "We need more hotel rooms near the expo center to compete, and (more) ballroom space will be nice, too," she said.
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