NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Debra Teufel with the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce told Hutch Post that the construction jobs that will come to Hutchinson in 2027 to build the new Evergy power plant will likely result in a lot of hotel room usage, so Hutch Post asked if she hoped that would prompt additional hotel development.
"I really hope it does," Teufel said. "We've had those exact thoughts. We have said for a long time, even with the new Hilton Garden Inn product and the other great hotel sites that we have in our community, we still will be under capacity in the number of hotel rooms. And so, I really see that we need to prepare as a community to get ready to market to another hotelier to come in."
She did say that the original time line for the Hilton Garden Inn looks like it may not be met.
"There have been meetings at City Hall with the whole team," Teufel said. "I have not actually been in those meetings. My VP of tourism, Leanne Cox, has been in on those. From the very beginning, everyone has been pushing towards that March timeline, but things are just sometimes not practical. And everyone knows that's the goal. However, and there was a lot of flexibility in give and take. In fact, some provisional occupancy certificates were talked about so that they can start moving furniture in sooner than later to get ready for that opening. However, the contractor has said there are some parts of their supply chain that are just going to be delayed. And so our greatest expectation is it might not happen until June."
Where might a second hotel go? One good spot is a familiar one.
"Even along the 61 corridor as the Atrium project is torn down, many people has talked about what is the future of that site," Teufel said. "I still think that corridor is prime for hotel development as well."
There are no specific proposals in the pipeline right now, but once the demolition of the Atrium is complete, more options may be available to a future developer.