Work begins on Comfort Suites hotel

Developer Drury Properties Inc. broke ground on the development in December, but officials didn't expect construction to progress so quickly, said Lonnie Funk, president of Springfield-based Rolling Oaks Hospitality, which will manage the hotel.

A June opening for the 87-suite hotel is planned.

The four-story building, located at 310 Monastery and adjacent to James River Freeway, will be about 55,000 square feet, Funk said, and should cost $3.1 million to construct.

Traffic and sprouting retail developments around the James River Freeway area were what drew the hotel's developers to the project site, Funk said.

“It's a combination of South Campbell traffic, James River traffic and medical district traffic,” he said. “All that traffic between Nixa and Springfield is a haven for potential clientele.”

The hotel will offer six suite options: double queen suites, king suites, extended king suites, queen suites with wide-bay windows, handicap-accessible double queen suites and handicap-accessible king suites. Each will be equipped with a coffeemaker, microwave, refrigerator, hair dryer, iron, voicemail system and cable television.

Amenities will include complimentary hot breakfast, on-site fitness and business centers, an indoor pool and spa, free high-speed wireless Internet and complimentary USA Today newspapers.

Rates will begin at $90 a night, Funk said.

The general contractor for the project is Denali Construction. H Design Group is the architect, Mettemeyer Engineering is the structural engineer and Anderson Engineering is the civil engineer. Colvin Jones Davis LLC is serving as the mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer. The interior designer is Interior Planning Consultants.