HUTCHINSON, Kan. — There is another unforeseen casualty of the COVID-19 outbreak for the city of Hutchinson. City Manager John Deardoff said on Tuesday that the city’s efforts to land a new hotel and convention center are on indefinite hold.
The city has been working with Leisure Development Group exclusively since they signed a contract in June of 2019 to develop a new facility. The matter has been on and off the back burner since then. Now with the COVID-19 outbreak all but shutting down the hotel and convention system the project is at a standstill. Deardoff said he had potential agreements ready to go but all of that is on hold. The agreement followed a study that showed the need for a 120 bed hotel with at least 20,000 sq. ft. of convention space.
The matter was further complicated when the Atrium Hotel and Convention Center suddenly closed its doors just before Christmas. This left the city without any type of convention facility.