What's New

Wichita is a great example of the dramatic activity taking place in the South Central states of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. This rising Kansas city is enjoying a revival of its downtown area, much of it in anticipation of a new 15,000-seat arena that will open in 2009.

Several entertainment districts are on the rise in Wichita, beginning with WaterWalk, which is being built on the Kansas River next to the Wichita Convention Center. WaterWalk includes retail space, an amphitheater, and a 303-room Hyatt Hotel adjacent to the convention center.

Plazzio is a 350,000-square-foot retail and entertainment center located on the east side of the city. It has three cornerstone projects, with plans for more. The Warren Theater East is a world-class theater that features the latest high-tech projection and sound equipment. The Alley Entertainment Center allows visitors to bowl, drive indoor go-karts, eat in the sports bar, and play billiards.

Old Town continues to grow. Nestled in the heart of the city among the brick-lined streets and historic lampposts is a 12-block collection of converted brick warehouses circa 1870-1930, with native limestone accents and distinctive architectural features. More than 100 restaurants, shops, theaters, galleries, museums, and businesses have set up shop here.

Facility Updates

Arkansas

• The new 125,000-square-foot JOHN Q. HAMMONS CONVENTION CENTER in Rogers opened in July 2006. The center is connected to the EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL, also a John Q. Hammons property. The hotel has 248 suites and 25,000 square feet of meeting space. An additional tower with 152 suites and a full-service spa are scheduled to open in July.

• Bentonville's CLARION INN AND CONVENTION CENTER was renovated in 2006, including 40,000 square feet of meeting space, a ballroom with capacity for 1,000 guests, six meeting rooms, and an atrium.

• A new 131-room DOUBLETREE SUITES & CONVENTION CENTER will be completed this fall in Bentonville. It will have 13,000 square feet of meeting space, including a ballroom.

• New hotels under construction in Bentonville include a 120-room COMFORT SUITES, the 84-room BEST WESTERN CASTLE ROCK INN, and a 115-room SIMMONS SUITES.

• Rogers/Bentonville recently announced plans for a new 9,000-seat sports arena that will house semi-professional basketball, hockey, and indoor soccer teams. The facility, which is scheduled to open in late 2008, will convert into trade show/convention space.

• DELTA AIRLINES begins two direct flights daily between Fort Smith and Atlanta this June.

• The new COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT in downtown Fort Smith has 520 guest rooms and suites adjacent to the Fort Smith Convention Center and Performing Arts Complex. The convention center, meanwhile, has added 2,400 square feet of meeting space, for a total of 140,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space.

• Within a 15-minute drive of downtown Fort Smith, at the Interstate 540 and Rogers Avenue Corridor, a LAQUINTA INN AND SUITES opened in March, and a new CANDLEWOOD SUITES is on schedule for a fall opening.

• In Hot Springs, just two blocks from America's first national park, the 360,000-square-foot HOT SPRINGS CONVENTION CENTER can accommodate meetings both large and small. Now that the expansion of SUMMIT ARENA is complete, the center can host concerts and sporting events with up to 6,000 guests in attendance.

• The 14-story, 200-room AUSTIN HOTEL AND CONVENTION CENTER in Hot Springs offers guests a view of downtown and the Ouachita Mountains. The hotel is connected to the HOT SPRINGS CIVIC AND CONVENTION CENTER and the new SUMMIT ARENA; it has 9,000 square feet of meeting space; a 4,500-square-foot ballroom; three meeting rooms that can accommodate 75 people each for receptions; a boardroom/classroom for 35 to 60 people; and a 1,400-square-foot terrace.

Kansas

• In Wichita, the 64-suite RESIDENCE INN by Marriott at Plazzio is part of a new 350,000-square-foot retail and entertainment center development. The hotel offers high-speed Internet access throughout the facility. A boardroom and two meeting rooms can be combined into one meeting space.

• HOMEWOOD SUITES by Hilton at the Waterfront, Wichita, offers 104 guest accommodations at its 165-acre property. Each suite offers secured direct printing to the business center. The hotel offers 1,961 square feet of meeting and banquet space. The property also offers a five-hole practice putting green.

• The COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT, OLD TOWN, Wichita, opened in December. The hotel offer 125 rooms and three suites, as well as 4,000 square feet of meeting space.

• ALLEGIANT AIR now offers nonstop flights on 150-passenger jets between Topeka's Forbes Field and Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport on Fridays and Mondays.

• The KANSAS CITY CONVENTION CENTER is undergoing the final phase of a $150 million expansion and technology upgrade. This piece of the renovation will make the center's ballroom one of the 10 largest in the United States. The 46,484-square-foot ballroom is designed for LEED Silver Building certification.

• Kansas City's largest convention hotel, the KANSAS CITY DOWNTOWN MARRIOTT, is undergoing a multiyear, multimillion-dollar makeover. The initial phase, scheduled to be complete late this year, included renovation of all 573 guest rooms in the Marriott Tower. The second phase, a renovation of all 410 rooms in the historic Muehlebach Tower, will follow. The hotel features nearly 10,000 square feet of function space in 42 meeting and banquet rooms, including two ballrooms.

• After being closed for 25 years, Kansas City's historic PRESIDENT HOTEL made an exciting comeback in January 2006 as the HILTON PRESIDENT. The hotel features 213 boutique guest rooms and the famous Drum Room.

• The ALADDIN HOTEL in Kansas City will reopen this spring as a boutique hotel by Holiday Inn. The renovation of the 193-room hotel is being described as “vintage hip.”

• The 731 rooms at the HYATT REGENCY CROWN CENTER, Kansas City, have been renovated as part of an $8 million project that included the remodeling of all public spaces.

Missouri

• The SPRINGFIELD CANDLEWOOD SUITES NORTH is scheduled to open this month. The hotel will have 83 suites with fully equipped kitchens and a fitness center. The hotel has an 800-square-foot meeting room that can seat 50 theater-style.

• Holiday Inn North, Springfield, will become the HOLIDAY INN HOTEL & SUITES after a renovation of all 188 guest rooms is complete. The hotel features 8,235 square feet of meeting space.

• UNIVERSITY PLAZA HOTEL & CONVENTION CENTER is undergoing a renovation of all 271 guest rooms that is scheduled to be complete by fall. The hotel has 39,000 square feet of meeting space and is adjacent to the Springfield Expo Center, which has 110,000 square feet of space.

• Springfield's COMFORT SUITES opened in September. The 87-suite property has a boardroom that seats 12.

• In airport news, SPRINGFIELD-BRANSON NATIONAL AIRPORT began clearing a site in May 2006 for a midfield terminal that is expected to open in 2009. Allegiant Air added a direct flight to Orlando, Fla., from Springfield in 2006, and American Eagle begins a direct flight from Springfield to St. Louis this month.

• Pinnacle has purchased the EMBASSY SUITES - ST. LOUIS DOWNTOWN. It will be attached to the company's planned 200-room Four Seasons hotel and spa via an elevated pedestrian walkway.

• The St. Louis Marriott Downtown has been reflagged the HILTON ST. LOUIS BALLPARK. A 2006 $16 million renovation of the 672-room property included a redesigned lobby and meeting space.

• The Holiday Inn Westport became the DOUBLETREE HOTEL ST. LOUIS AT WESTPORT and underwent a $5 million renovation.

• The new 120-room HAMPTON INN & SUITES ST. LOUIS - FOREST PARK opened adjacent to St. Louis' attraction-filled historic park in May 2006.

• A 128-room HILTON HOMEWOOD SUITES and a 235-room WESTIN HOTEL are set to open this summer just 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis.

• There are flag changes at two popular St. Louis airport properties. The Baymont Inn & Suites is now a LAQUINTA INN, and the Four Points by Sheraton - St. Louis West is now the HOLIDAY INN AIRPORT - WEST. Not far from the airport in Maryland Heights, a new $11.4 million HOMEWOOD SUITES by Hilton is being built. The 104-suite property is scheduled to open this spring.

• The BEST WESTERN CAPITAL INN in Jefferson City was razed to make room for the brand-new, 75-unit BEST WESTERN CAPITAL INN AND SUITES, which is set to open this month and includes a 1,000-square-foot meeting room for up to 60 people.

• HOTEL LA BELLA plans to complete major renovations by late fall. The Jefferson City building was gutted. Meeting space will increase to about 8,000 square feet, including a 5,000-square-foot ballroom.

• The 242-room HILTON PROMENADE AT BRANSON LANDING, with 2,000 square feet of meeting space, opened in February.

• The 12-story, 293-room HILTON BRANSON CONVENTION CENTER HOTEL — adjacent to the 220,000-square-foot Branson Convention Center — is set to open August 17. Hilton will manage and market the convention center for the city.

• A 133-room HAMPTON INN AND SUITES is under construction in Columbia. It will have 5,900 square feet of meeting space.

Oklahoma

• The TULSA CONVENTION CENTER is undergoing a renovation that, when completed in fall 2008, will include a 35,000-square-foot ballroom (the largest in Oklahoma) and an additional 20,000 square feet of meeting space in 35 breakout rooms. Upon completion, the convention center will house more than 250,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 106,000-square-foot exhibit hall.

• Just across the street from the convention center, Tulsa is working to complete the $178 million BANK OF OKLAHOMA CENTER by September 2008. The 550,000-square-foot, multipurpose arena will have 18,041 permanent and retractable seats and feature 37 luxury suites.

• Tulsa's CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL is spending $9 million to renovate all 462 guest rooms and public spaces. The room renovations should be complete by May; the public spaces will be finished by this fall.

• TULSA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT is midway through a seven-year, $70 million expansion and renovation that has brought 85,000 square feet of space, a centrally located terminal and passenger-screening area, and expanded food options. By midsummer, Tulsa will add nonstop daily departures to Albuquerque, N.M.; Austin; Ontario; Sacramento, Calif.; San Antonio; and San Diego.

• The town of Stillwater recently broke ground for a new three-story, 75-unit MICROTEL. The grand opening is slated for October.

• The new Norman convention center broke ground in March and is scheduled for completion in August 2008. The center will have 43,000 square feet of rentable function space, including a 28,800-square-foot, divisible grand ballroom; a 7,200-square-foot junior ballroom; and 7,200 square feet of meeting rooms. It will be attached to a 10-story, 250-room Embassy Suites.

• The COLCORD HOTEL, a 108-room boutique property in downtown Oklahoma City across from the Cox Convention Center, opened in October.

• The renovated SKIRVIN HILTON HOTEL, a 225-room historic property in downtown Oklahoma City, two blocks from the Cox Convention Center, opened in March.

• The 151 all-suite RESIDENCE INN BRICKTOWN, located on the canal in the heart of Oklahoma City's Bricktown entertainment district, opened in January.

• The HAMPTON INN BRICKTOWN, a 200-room property in Bricktown in downtown Oklahoma City, will open in the fourth quarter of this year.

• A $110 million reconstruction project at Oklahoma City's WILL ROGERS WORLD AIRPORT was completed in November. Improvements included expansion of the ticket counters and baggage claim areas, a new concourse, and installation of a cutting-edge in-line baggage screening system. The airport now has Wi-Fi.

Ask the CVB

Arkansas

BENTONVILLE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
(800) 410-2535
www.bentonvilleusa.org
Total Hotel Tax: 13%

FORT SMITH CVB
(800) 637-1477
www.fortsmith.org
Total Hotel Tax: 14.25%

HOT SPRINGS CVB
(800) 922-6478; (501) 321-2835
www.hotsprings.org
Total Hotel Tax: 13.5%

NORTH LITTLE ROCK VISITORS BUREAU
(800) 643-3690
www.northlittlerock.org
www.northlittlerock.travel
Total Hotel Tax: 14%

ROGERS CVB
(479) 636-1240
www.rogerslowell.comTotal Hotel Tax: 13%

Kansas

FRANKLIN COUNTY CVB
(785) 242-1411
www.visitottawakansas.com
Total Hotel Tax: 13.9%

GREATER WICHITA CVB
(800) 288-9425; (316) 265-2800
www.visitwichita.com
Total Hotel Tax: 13.%

VISIT TOPEKA INC.
(800) 235-1030; (785) 234-1030
www.VisitTopeka.travel
Total Hotel Tax: 13.45%

Missouri

COLUMBIA CVB
(573) 875-1231
www.visitcolumbiamo.com
Total Hotel Tax: 11.55%

JEFFERSON CITY CVB
(573) 632-2820
www.VisitJeffersonCity.com
Total Hotel Tax: 9%

JOPLIN CVB
(800) 657-2534; (417) 625-4789
www.visitjoplinmo.com
Total Hotel Tax: 11%

KANSAS CITY CONVENTION & VISITORS ASSOCIATION
(800) 767-7700;
www.VisitKC.com
Total Hotel Tax: 14.975% to 16.475%

MARYLAND HEIGHTS CVB
(314) 275-9962
www.more2do.org
Total Hotel Tax: 14%

ST. LOUIS CONV. & VISITORS COMMISSION
(800) 916-0040
www.explorestlouis.com
Total Hotel Tax: 16.49%

SPRINGFIELD CVB
(800) 678-8767
www.SpringfieldAdventures.com
Total Hotel Tax: 11.8%

Oklahoma

GREATER OKLAHOMA CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(405) 297-8900
www.okcchamber.com
Total Hotel Tax: 13.875%

NORMAN CVB
(800) 767-7260; (405) 366-8095
www.visitnorman.com
Total Hotel Tax: 11.5%

STILLWATER CVB
(800) 991-6717; (405) 743-3697
www.come2stillwater.com
Total Hotel Tax: 12.75%

TULSA CVB
(800) 558-3311; (918) 560-0266
www.visittulsa.com
Total Hotel Tax: 13.52%

Phantom Planner

• In St. Louis, you — or your destination management company — can rent some beautiful private homes for events.

• Sayersbrook Ranch, a bison ranch about an hour and half from St. Louis, allows visitors to hunt their own bison.

• Columbia, Missouri, frequently hosts statewide youth events. Compare the dates of your event with the CVB before making arrangements, so that your event does not conflict.

• Oklahoma weather can go from hot and sunny to freezing and snowing in a matter of hours. To keep attendees comfortable, encourage them to layer their clothing in all seasons.

• For a city of 800,000 people, it is surprisingly easy to get almost anywhere in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, metro area in 15 minutes or less.

• Having trouble figuring out which way is which is downtown Tulsa? City planners laid out the streets that run north-south this way: Streets west of Main Street are named, alphabetically, for cities west of the Mississippi River. East of Main, streets run alphabetically and are named for cities east of the Mississippi.

Special Venues

• The UNDERGROUND SALT MUSEUM recently opened just 45 minutes from downtown WICHITA, Kansas. It is the only museum in a working salt mine in the Western Hemisphere. www.undergroundmuseum.org

• CRYSTAL BRIDGES AMERICAN ART MUSEUM, which will be completed in fall 2009 in Bentonville, Arkansas, will feature 100,000 square feet of gallery, lecture, meeting, and library space, as well as a 250-seat indoor theater and multifunctional theater space. www.crystalbridges.org

• VICTORY THEATER was designed by noted ROGERS, ARKANSAS, architect A.O. Clarke and opened in December 1927. The theater has undergone extensive renovations and refurbishment, and reopened as the home for the Rogers Little Theater in 2000. It is available for receptions and private dinner theater. The theater holds more than 700 guests. www.rogerslittletheater.com

• The Ozark Empire Fairgrounds in SPRINGFIELD, Mo., has changed its name to MISSOURI ENTERTAINMENT & EVENT CENTER. The facility features 85,100 square feet of multipurpose space, including the 90- by 120-foot Noel Boyd Arena, opened in 2006. The open-air arena is 10,800 square feet and features portable seating. www.entertainmo.com/eplex.htm

• PYTHIAN CASTLE, a certified haunted castle in SPRINGFIELD, Mo., is about 40,000 square feet with more than 55 rooms, including a ballroom and stage. The owner offers dance lessons, murder mystery dinners, and other special events. www.pythiancastle.com