Hammons announces Arkansas development

Springfield developer John Q. Hammons in July announced plans to develop a $30 million, 230-room Marriott Hotel and a $25 million, 125,000-square-foot John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers, Ark. Also in July, Hammons announced that he has sold the Holiday Inn Rushmore Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Rapid City, S.D.

Moving ahead in Arkansas

According to a news release from John Q. Hammons Hotels Inc., the new hotel will be the first full-service Marriott Hotel in Arkansas. It will be linked via the John Q. Hammons Center to Hammons' already established $45 million, 250-suite Embassy Suites Hotel in the Pinnacle Hills area of Rogers.

"There's no place in the country that has any stronger economy right now, than northwest Arkansas," Hammons said in an interview after the announcement. "There are 300,000 people living there right now." Hammons will own the Marriott Hotel and the John Q. Hammons Center, but the properties will be managed by Springfield-based John Q. Hammons Hotels Inc.

Construction of the Marriott Hotel and John Q. Hammons Center, is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2005, with a grand opening.

The projects are the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, Interstate 49, U.S. Highway 71 and Interstate 540.

Amenities and offerings

The John Q. Hammons Center and the Marriott Hotel will offer a total of 40 meeting rooms, and the hotel will have a ballroom that can accommodate 3,000 guests. Two additional rooms will be able to hold as many as 1,400 people each.

The Marriott will offer amenities for business and leisure travelers, including telephone lines with dataports and voice-mail, high-speed Internet access, well-lighted writing desks and in-room writing desks.

The hotel also will offer a full-service business center, restaurant, health and fitness center, indoor pool, whirlpool and sauna.

"The explosive growth Rogers is experiencing requires quality lodging and meetings options to ensure repeat business that benefits the city. Mr. Hammons' developments consistently deliver unprecedented results and will have a positive impact not only on our visitors, but also (on) our residents and businesses," said Rogers Mayor Steve Womack, in the release.

The Pinnacle Hills area includes The Shops at Pinnacle Hills and the $100 million, 750,000-square-foot Pinnacle Hills Promenade, a retail and entertainment center that is scheduled to open in summer 2006. Partners of The Pinnacle Group, include J.B. Hunt, Bill Schwyhart, Tim Graham and Robert Thornton. Other key businesses with headquarters in the area, such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Tyson Foods Inc., have given support to the new Marriott and John Q. Hammons Center plans, the release stated.

The community of Rogers, which has population of more than 41,500, includes a diverse mix of businesses, recreation, historical attractions and entertainment districts.

"Rogers is one of northwest Arkansas' fastest-growing cities, making it an economically sound market for building exceptional hospitality facilities," said Hammons, in the release. In addition to development in Pinnacle Hills, other projects under way in Rogers include the Mercy Medical Level 1 Trauma Center, new Perry Road Interchange and The Shops at Market Street, an upscale retail and office center.

Out of Rapid City

Hammons' privately owned Rapid city property was sold to Steven C. Lester LLC of Rapid City, according to a separate news release. The eight-story Holiday Inn Rushmore Plaza Hotel and Conference Center opened in 1990. The property features 205 remodeled guest rooms, 47 suites, a restaurant and 14,200 square feet of meeting space.