Hospitality District Development

The rebuilding of the hospitality district began in 1999. First, the Studio 6, which was under construction, sustained heavy damages and was repaired. This was followed by the reconstruction of the Hampton Inn. Before the tornado, the Hampton Inn contained 69 rooms. In rebuilding, the owners chose to add a third story and increase the number of rooms to 102. The Comfort Inn and Suites soon followed with its reconstruction. Taking the opportunity to reconfigure the site, the owners built a 78 room hotel. Though the hotel contained fewer rooms, the reconfiguration allowed for the creation of two restaurant out- parcels. The owners of the Comfort Inn and Suites also chose to build another 78 room hotel, the Holiday Inn & Suites, on land they already owned in the area. The final hotel to be built was the Amerisuites. The 80 room hotel was constructed where the Clarion Hotel once existed. The property owner also chose to reconfigure the site, reducing the number of rooms but creating a restaurant out-parcel. In total, the construction and repair of the hotels represents and investment of over $17,000,000 in the hospitality district area, employing approximately 140 full and part-time persons.