Holiday Inn Express going up near Hammons Field

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Visitors to Hammons Field's opening weekend festivities April 2-4 may have noticed another John Q. Hammons project under way across the street.|ret||ret||tab|

Hammons is building a Holiday Inn Express at the southwest corner of St. Louis and National, immediately west of Walgreens. |ret||ret||tab|

The 120-room, four-story hotel will be Hammons' fifth Springfield property and his 68th Holiday Inn nationwide.|ret||ret||tab|

Hammons was required to construct the hotel per his development agreement with the city of Springfield. Hammons acquired the 2.5-acre site in a land swap with the city.|ret||ret||tab|

Hammons is property owner and developer, while Springfield-based John Q. Hammons Hotels Inc. will manage it. The hotel is scheduled to open in March 2005.|ret||ret||tab|

"Springfield's business, tourism, sports and convention industries are experiencing rapid growth, so there is an immense need for a new downtown hotel that can help support the heightened demand for guest rooms," Hammons said in a news release. "With Hammons Field so close by, the Holiday Inn Express-Springfield is a homerun for Springfield."|ret||ret||tab|

The new Holiday Inn will have approximately 1,000 square feet of meeting space to add to the business options downtown, the release said.|ret||ret||tab|

"Downtown Springfield is exploding with activity," said Tracy Kimberlin, executive director of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, in a news release. "In addition to Hammons Field, a new expo center, ice park and 977-space car park have opened within the past two years. All of these developments, a visitor information center, and dozens of restaurants and nightclubs will be within walking distance of the Holiday Inn Express Springfield."|ret||ret||tab|

Springfield CVB recently relocated its administrative offices and a tourism information center to Jordan Valley Park, in the ground floor of the parking garage.|ret||ret||tab|

Hammons' other Springfield properties are the Courtyard by Marriott, the Holiday Inn Springfield North Hotel and Conference Center, the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center and the Residence Inn by Marriott.|ret||ret||tab|

In other John Q. Hammons Hotels news, the company completed a $3 million renovation of the Embassy Suites Hotel Kansas City-International Airport in March.|ret||ret||tab|

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