University Plaza says goodbye to presidential suite

UP General Manager Bob Pottberg said management recently decided to take the presidential suite off the market because the hotel lacked a comparable suite for disabled patrons.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires lodging parity for disabled patrons, he said.

“We can’t offer one particular type of room that is not also available as an ADA-available room, so the decision was made to take that room off the market,” he said.

‘Proactive’ decision

The hotel did not receive any complaints about the presidential suite, said Pottberg, who described the decision to remove it from inventory as “proactive.”

But Troy Balthazor with the ADA Information & Technical Assistance Center in Columbia offered a different interpretation of the federal law.

“The ADA basically says you need to provide access to that area, or attempt to,” he said. “I certainly don’t think they have to flat-out shut it down because it can’t be made fully accessible.”

Pottberg said the hotel stopped taking reservations for the two-room suite, which includes a kitchen, wet bar and separate living area, earlier this month. The suite was often made available to VIPs and groups on a gratis basis, he said.

Guests who had already booked the presidential suite were contacted by the hotel and rebooked in other suites, 32 of which have undergone or are undergoing renovations, Pottberg said.

Twelve are already renovated and available to guests.

“We have suites available that are comparable – if not better – than that one named room,” Pottberg said. “People are getting hung up on the word ‘presidential.’ I have 32 other rooms that are the same room.”

Pottberg declined to say how many reservations were affected by the decision to decommission the presidential suite, which was previously listed at a nightly rate of $349. The hotel’s remaining suites, which are about 35 square feet smaller, will go for much less.

“We’ve rethought our strategies, and we’re pricing our other suites at $189 a night,” Pottberg said.

Renovations

The first phase of hotel renovations should be complete by March 1, he added, noting that the suites have been refinished with granite countertops, microwaves, refrigerators and new bedding. The complete multimillion-dollar hotel renovation should wrap up by early fall, Pottberg said.

“Everything from the vinyl to the carpet to the artwork has been redone in those rooms,” he said.

So what will become of the presidential suite? For now, it will sit vacant.

“I will leave that up to the architects and the design people,” Pottberg said.

Of course, the suite will always be available to John Q. Hammons, president and founder of Hammons Hotel & Resorts, the Springfield-based hotel chain that owns UP.

“He occasionally uses rooms here,” Pottberg said. “That particular room, he’s not using. When he does stay here, Mr. Hammons is comfortable in just a standard room.”