earthling wrote:Proposal for $47M upgrade, luxury 120 room hotel. But apparently only if it gets the incentives they want...
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/08/06/43 ... posed.html
This is good news. Especially since they appear skilled at running historic hotels.
I agree with the Mayor on this one. Despite the convention and visitor's bureau's recommendation not to incentivise more small hotels, I think this is an exception. That building has needed something done for a long, long time. Deferred maintenance will continue to make it only more expensive in the future. This new owner is bringing a specialty product to the market that doesn't really compete with a big convention hotel. That part of downtown needs the development, and fixing up the Savoy will certainly make it more likely. No developer will want an old broken-down building across the street that rents out rooms to month-to-month tenants. I more for doing it to restore an old building than add hotel rooms. I think fixing up the Savoy will remove any objection to someone putting up new buildings around it.
The other thing is that in its' present state, the Savoy isn't really contributing a lot to downtown. It's underutilized for such a large building, and could be producing more activity and revenue. It's a handsome old building that really adds to downtown. More hotel guests can only help the Savoy Grill.
It would be amazing if the Savoy could beat out the Raphael Hotel as the top hotel in Kansas City in Conde Nast magazine.
That formula helped the 21c Louisville get the nod as the nation’s top hotel in 2009 and 2010 from the readers of Conde Nast.
The 90-room Louisville hotel, a historic rehab of five separate buildings, attracts 150,000 people annually, many to simply enjoy the works displayed in its 9,000 square feet of gallery space. The works are done by living local, national and international artists.
Mayor Sly James said Greg Fischer, the mayor of Louisville, was singing that hotel’s praises at a recent meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
“He said it’s undoubtedly the best hotel he’s stayed in,” James said Tuesday.
The owner supports the plan by 21c to redevelop the historic Savoy property.
“They are rated tops in the nation for management,” Lee said. “We think they’re quality people, and they have a background in operating historic properties.”