Hammons? colorful Marriott Residence Inn complete

Construction on the new Marriott Residence Inn located at 1303 E. Kings-ley began in mid-August last year and was completed this Sept. 10, according to Stan Hammack, project manager with Killian Construction Company.

Hammack said that the project finished on schedule despite the loss of 90 days last winter due to inclement weather. "Overcoming the elements made it a challenge to stay on schedule," he said.

During peak construction time there were as many as 120 workers, including subcontractors, onsite at the project. Several hours of overtime went into the job to get back on schedule, Hammack said.

According to Marty McGahan, project manager for owner John Q. Hammons, the approximate total cost of the 116,920-square-foot complex was $15 million.

Hammons hotels

The new inn marks number 56 in Hammons-owned hotels across the United States and is the eighth Marriott hotel in that lineup. It is the first Marriott Residence Inn for Hammons.

"There was another Marriott Resi-dence Inn in Springfield, but that went away, thus allowing Marriott Corporate to extend the invitation to Mr. Hammons to pick up the franchise," McGahan said.

The Marriott group of hotels is divided into three categories. The three classifications are courtyards, renaissance inns and residence inns.

Each category has distinctive features and characteristics that set it apart from the others under the umbrella, McGahan noted.

The distinction of the Residence Inn, in contrast to the other two categories, is that the hotel is designed for people who plan extended visits and who want more than the confinement of a single motel room.

Guests may stay from a few nights up to several months in comfort, according to Cheryl McGee, director of marketing for John Q. Hammons Hotels.

Atmosphere and amenities

The type of atmosphere and the amenities attract a variety of people, McGee said; for example, corporate executives who are relocating, lawyers brought in on a case, people doing business in the area and people who have someone in the hospital.

The Bavarian style exterior gives the structure an Old World European look, which is popular in commercial construction today. Hammack said that different types of textures have been used on the EIFS (exterior finish and insulation system), which is also accented with stone veneer. Along with the varied textures, there are 10 different colors on the outside walls.

Hammack said the Old World theme is carried out inside with imported ceramic tile floors, a brick see-through fireplace in the gatehouse, vaulted, box-beam ceilings and granite counter tops.

McGahan added, "You have a real nice homey flavor in the hearth room, which is like a large den."

Marriott prototypes

Marriott has a prototype for the structures within each category it franchises. While the Hammons architectural and design team make sure the basic Marriott feature requirements are met, it is customary procedure for John Q. Hammons, with an eye for detail, to upgrade materials and design used in the projects that carry his name, McGahan said.

According to Hammack, "Very high-end materials have gone into the project." Each of the 136 suites in the Inn contains a kitchen complete with micro-wave, stove, refrigerator and disposal, a living area and one or two bedrooms. Some of them are equipped with fireplaces as well. There are also guest laundry facilities.

The Inn's gatehouse provides a common area where guests can relax and read or watch television. Amenities in-clude an outdoor pool, spa and sports court. The indoor spa is connected to a large fitness area furnished with state-of-the-art equipment, McGahan said.

Meeting rooms

For businessmen or organizations, the inn provides a 2,000-square-foot meeting room that can be divided into three separate meeting areas. McGahan noted that along with this large area, there are two smaller board rooms and a business library complete with books, games, television and computer equipment with Web access, as well as fax and copy ma-chines. These amenities are provided at no extra charge.

"The features offered are a strong draw," McGee said. "You'll also find people in business, where they do a lot of traveling, will look for the Marriott product because of the points earned in the Marriott frequency program."

Steve A. Minton, vice president of design and development for John Q. Hammons designed the building. Pel-lham Phillips Hagerman Architects-Engineers aided in the project.