Florida company buys Springfield hotel

A Miami, Florida, investment management firm has entered the Missouri market with the purchase of a hotel near Springfield-Branson National Airport.

Bloom Ventures closed Dec. 29 on the acquisition of La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Springfield Airport Plaza, said David Harari, the company's founder and CEO. The purchase price was $7 million, he said, noting the seller was Grace Hospitality Properties LLC.

The 92-room, 55,000-square-foot La Quinta hotel, 2445 N. Airport Plaza Ave., is Bloom Ventures' first hotel outside of Florida, said Harari.

"It was a good deal. We liked the market a lot," he said, noting he visited the Queen City as part of the purchase process. "I enjoyed the community."

Legacy Bank and Trust Co. was the lender, Harari said. Skip Liebman and Ron Tappan of Reece Commercial Real Estate served as the listing brokers, he added.

Florida-based Driftwood Hospitality Management is managing the property for Bloom Ventures, Harari said.

Future investments in the area might be on the horizon.

"We plan on staying here for a long time and expanding our footprint in the Springfield market," Harari said.