Location may change for hotel project

LOVELAND — Hotel magnate John Q. Hammons remains committed to building a hotel-convention center complex in east Loveland.

But Hammons may not be settled on exactly where to build the $35 million project.

In early March 2003, Hammons said he would construct a 250-room Embassy Suites Hotel and adjoining 80,000-square-foot convention hall on a 20-acre site west of Interstate 25. The site is near Crossroads Boulevard, just south of the Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport.

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Recently, local developer Martin Lind acknowledged that he’s talked to Hammons about a different location — owned by Lind — on the east side of I-25, closer to the Budweiser Events Center.

“He’s positioning all of his options right now,” Lind said of Hammons. “He’s a very astute gentleman and holds his cards pretty close.”

Lind believes his land is best-suited for a hotel-convention center because of its proximity to the Bud Center and The Ranch, the name for the new Larimer County fairgrounds complex. Lind owns 60 acres just south of The Ranch.

When asked about his plans, Hammons was tightlipped, but evidently not locked in on one location.

“I’m going to build, of course,” he said. “As for the announcement on the location, I’m getting ready to do that sometime in the next 90 days.”

The Springfield, Mo.-based Hammons is the namesake for John Q. Hammons Hotels Inc. (AMEX: JQH), a hotel operating company of which Hammons is chairman. The company owns and manages the 259-room University Park Holiday Inn in Fort Collins, among 60 hotels it operates nationwide.

Hammons intends to develop the Loveland hotel individually, but then turn it over to his company to manage.

Lind may have an ally in his efforts to lure Hammons to the east side of I-25. Larimer County officials, who have an interest in enhancing the drawing power of The Ranch, have been in contact with Hammons, too, Lind said. But the nature of those discussions is unknown.

County officials could not be reached for comment.

If Hammons chooses to build on the Lind property, that would trigger a larger commercial development.

Lind and his partners own 60 acres, of which 20 would be set aside for a hotel-convention center. With the remaining 40 acres, Lind is planning a retail and office project.

But the hotel project comes first.

According to Lind, the hotel’s layout will dictate the alignment of the road network, including realignment of the existing frontage road. When that’s determined, the rest of the project will fall into place.

Meanwhile, interest in the site from restaurants and retailers is “real strong,” Lind said.

“It’s not only strip retail, but national chains of restaurants. And then we’ve got big-box retailers. It’s pretty interesting to see the commotion that corner’s created.”

The impact of the hotel-convention center is much awaited by Loveland business leaders. The hotel itself, at the projected 250 rooms, would increase the city’s room inventory by 50 percent to 750.

Furthermore, the project would open Loveland up to compete with other Northern Colorado cities for large meeting business.