![]() ![]() Hammons Trust then assumed control of his properties.Īlpharetta, Georgia-based Atrium Hospitality owns 82 hotel properties in 29 different states, boasting almost 22,000 hotel rooms. Hammons built University Plaza and oversaw development of several other nearby properties, like Hammons Field and the Springfield Expo Center. “It’s a terrible reflection on not just Atrium hotels, but on the city of Springfield.” Our biggest and used-to-be-best convention hotel is in a sad shape right now,” Kimberlin said. ![]() “What’s your strategy on booking events at those facilities, and are they still viable booking facilities?” “I walked through the University Plaza the other day and there were 55-gallon drums catching rainwater coming off of the roof,” Ollis said. “I go down to the ballpark and downtown quite a bit, and I’ve noticed that a couple of our hotels, one being the Q, looks like it may be shuttered,” Ollis said. Springfield City Councilman and Cardinals baseball fan Richard Ollis checked out the area around Hammons Field recently, which spurred some questions for the CVB. The conversation at council turned to the current state of some of Springfield’s once-prized tourism properties, whose condition appears to be deteriorating. (Illustration by Springfield Convention Visitors Bureau) What has become of University Plaza? Part of that was before the rise in inflation, and it was just a question of demand increases.” The Springfield Convention Visitors Bureau publishes a line graph showing hotel room occupancies in Springfield on a monthly basis. “The average daily rate in Springfield has gone up significantly. “It’s not different in the hotel business than it is in any other business,” Kimberlin said. “As we’re seeing inflation all over, what’s the impact on what one would pay for a hotel room?” McClure asked. Springfield Mayor Ken McClure questioned Kimberlin on how inflation affects hotel rates during a council hearing June 13. The consumer price index (CPI) for Springfield hit 8.8 percent in May 2022, which means the cost of just about everything is increasing. While it’s more expensive to travel in 2022 than it was in 2021, people are traveling. In May, Springfield had a hotel room occupancy rate of 70 percent, which stands above the Missouri rate of 59.8 percent and the national average of 59.1 percent, but down from the May 2021 rate of 71 percent for Springfield. That’s with Springfield’s hotels losing market share to short-term rental platforms like Airbnb and VRBO. There were more than 120,000 room rentals in Springfield in May 2022. That’s a 12.6-percent year-over-year price increase from the average nightly cost of $90.04 in May 2021. In May 2022, CVB data shows the average nightly rate to rent a hotel room in Springfield was $101.40. The Visitors Bureau reported that tourism dollars have risen significantly since the depths of the pandemic, and inflation is part of the equation. The organization’s 2022-2023 marketing budget is primarily funded through the hotel tax, which requires hotels, motels and tourist courts to pay a 5-percent tax on the rental receipts for transient guests’ sleeping accommodations. ![]() It also works to attract and keep large events in Springfield. The CVB’s job is to market Springfield to potential visitors in other parts of the Midwest and the rest of the United States. The CVB also oversees the Springfield Sports Commission. A volunteer board of 15 business leaders is responsible for its oversight. The Springfield Convention Visitors Bureau is a 501(c)6 nonprofit with a staff of about 20 employees. The City Council’s meeting about the CVB contract resulted in a discussion of three distinct changes to Springfield’s tourism economy: the deterioration of what was once the epicenter of conventions in Springfield, the emergence of short-term rental properties as the choice over hotel rooms, and the economic impact of sports in Southwest Missouri. The money from the city will be used to fund a 27-point plan to market Springfield as a regional, national and even an international destination for tourists. On June 27, the Springfield City Council will consider the final vote on a bill to spend about $4.2 million with the Springfield Convention Visitors Bureau over the upcoming fiscal year. “The travel industry has come back with a vengeance since the pandemic,” Springfield Convention Visitors Bureau President Tracy Kimberlin said. Visitors are choosing different accommodations based on national trends, economic concerns and the deterioration of what used to be a jewel in the Queen City’s crown. Out-of-town guests are returning to Springfield after tourism took a nosedive in 2020. ![]()
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