Hotel at Sports Complex will get $40M makeover

[AF]

http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansa ... ily34.html

[GRID]

I somehow missed this.  Nice to see some re-investment in this hotel.

[shinatoo]

I used to be a manager there. $40 mil would be good for the makeover, but not enough for both the water park and the makeover. That thing was in serious neglect.

[GRID]

Well, I would assume this "waterpark" will be nothing like the GWL in KCK, but will give tourists a reason to stay there.  So if they spent 20 mil on each (waterpark bldg/renovation), I think they should be in good shape.

You could build a new hotel of that size for 40-70 million.

I agree though, the thing looks bad from I-70.  I can only imagine what the inside is like.

I hope they get a new flag that is decent too.  This project could spur more interest in the area.

[KCMax]

I have much criticism as well as other ideas-- a mixed use project would've been ideal for such a high profile location. Now that Lego has surfaced, that would've been another incredible option considering the proximity to TSC and the newly branded Sheraton.

Speaking of the Sheraton, on KC Week in Review, they mentioned something about the old Sheraton near the TSC renovating and adding an indoor water park, and that the developers are now asking for public subsidies to get it done. Anyone know anything about this? I had never heard of it before. How many water parks does this metro need?

[kcdcchef]

I have much criticism as well as other ideas-- a mixed use project would've been ideal for such a high profile location. Now that Lego has surfaced, that would've been another incredible option considering the proximity to TSC and the newly branded Sheraton.

since i have missed out here, what hotel became a sheraton?

[Stockton]

Last time I was there it was an Adams Mark. Or at least I assume that's the hotel being discussed.

[KCMax]

since i have missed out here, what hotel became a sheraton?

I don't know, the hotel across from Denny's was a Clarion last time I checked. I was confused as to what Sheraton they were talking about.

[GRID]

The old Adams Mark is being renovated and will get the Sheraton flag in the early summer.  It's occupancy rate is down to 30% since going to the Clarion flag which is an embarrassment for such a large and high profile hotel.  Clarions are typically offramp motels, not highrises with larger conference centers.  That building and location deserves better.

They want to use TIF to build a new 60,000 sq ft indoor water park next to the hotel similar to Great Wolf Lodge in KCK.

KCMO is behind the project, at least those in office now do.

[Stockton]

My younger buddy worked as a lifeguard at Great Wolf Lodge, so I've been to the waterpark a few times. I wasn't impressed but it wasn't a terrible time. Although, that means it won't take much to cancel out KCK's "attraction". Hmm.

So how about that Blue Ridge Walmart. I like how they've reused the Blue Ridge Mall logo and sign. At least a hint of originality and history for the ubiquitous Walmart Supercenter.

[eliphar17]

They want to use TIF to build a new 60,000 sq ft indoor water park next to the hotel similar to Great Wolf Lodge in KCK.

What new tax revenue would pay for this? Or do developers expect now that the city will throw money at anything?

[KCMax]

On KCWIR, I think they said it was abatements, not TIF. I could be mis-remembering what I heard.

[eliphar17]

A moderator might want to move the relevant posts to the hotel renovation topic: http://forum.kcrag.com/index.php/topic,10167.0.html

[jimb]

The old Adams Mark is being renovated and will get the Sheraton flag in the early summer.

And we come full circle.  The original name for the Adams Mark/Clarion/whatever hotel catty-corner from the TSC in the mid-70s?

"The Sheraton Royal"

[shinatoo]

The old Adams Mark is being renovated and will get the Sheraton flag in the early summer.  It's occupancy rate is down to 30% since going to the Clarion flag which is an embarrassment for such a large and high profile hotel.  Clarions are typically offramp motels, not highrises with larger conference centers.  That building and location deserves better.

They want to use TIF to build a new 60,000 sq ft indoor water park next to the hotel similar to Great Wolf Lodge in KCK.

KCMO is behind the project, at least those in office now do.

Hopefully it will be getting an Extreme Makeover: Hotel Edition. I worked there in 2001 and it was dump, one of most dirty depressing places I've worked. They "supposedly" did a major remodel, but all they did was replace rancid rotting carpet. I would guess back then they wern't much above 30% on occupancy.

When we did have a full house the complaint cards were stacked so high nobody bothered to read them. This was Adams Marks first property and they basically acted like a slum lord.

The conference center addition on the back that they added in 1980 is a horribly cheaply constructed building. They was rarely enough electrical service for staged events. June of that summer the main air conditioning chiller for that building broke. They still hadn't fixed it when I left in January. The home office suggested we use portable air conditioning units. And it wasn't because it couldn't be fixed, they just wouldn't spend the $1400. Then they complained because we started warning people that we didn't have AC and they would cancel there Wedding/Meeting.

The lighting dimmers had about 25% of the dimmers broken. So we would have to shuffle dimmer modules around between events depending on need. If the house was full we couldn't turn on all the lights. What a joke. 

It was a living heck.

[kcdcchef]

Hopefully it will be getting an Extreme Makeover: Hotel Edition. I worked there in 2001 and it was dump, one of most dirty depressing places I've worked. They "supposedly" did a major remodel, but all they did was replace rancid rotting carpet. I would guess back then they wern't much above 30% on occupancy.

When we did have a full house the complaint cards were stacked so high nobody bothered to read them. This was Adams Marks first property and they basically acted like a slum lord.

The conference center addition on the back that they added in 1980 is a horribly cheaply constructed building. They was rarely enough electrical service for staged events. June of that summer the main air conditioning chiller for that building broke. They still hadn't fixed it when I left in January. The home office suggested we use portable air conditioning units. And it wasn't because it couldn't be fixed, they just wouldn't spend the $1400. Then they complained because we started warning people that we didn't have AC and they would cancel there Wedding/Meeting.

The lighting dimmers had about 25% of the dimmers broken. So we would have to shuffle dimmer modules around between events depending on need. If the house was full we couldn't turn on all the lights. What a joke. 

It was a living heck.

that moron that ran human resources, and the idiot gm, ran that dump into the ground. sad, how they ruined that place. happy to see them finally fix it.

[shinatoo]

that moron that ran human resources, and the idiot gm, ran that dump into the ground. sad, how they ruined that place. happy to see them finally fix it.

Which idiot GM? We had a new GM every 6 months.

[KCTigerFan]

Now their request for tax breaks is the type we should deny.  With the hundreds of millions of dollars invested in the TSC this hotel will be renovated and should not need additional tax breaks.  If they "are forced to sell" let them.  Another developer will come in and remodel.

[zonk]

the preliminary plat for this project was approved by CPC this morning.

[kcdcchef]

Which idiot GM? We had a new GM every 6 months.

i only met one, i thought he was there from like 1988-1993 or something.

the fuckhead in hr's name was don russell, a real fucking clueless idiot. a real dump, they hired like 8 chefs away from hyatt during my several years at hyatt. amazing that they all kept going, even knowing they were making a mistake and would be fired in 6 months.

the thing that made me laugh was the fact that even after all the years of ineptness, and all the years of the place being so mismanaged and so horrible, they still managed to keep a full scale bake shop in operation there. the last full hotel in kansas city to have a full bake shop, with home made danish, cookies, cakes, pies, desserts, etc.