University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center costing Springfield business? Tourism official says “Yes”

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - At Springfield’s City Council meeting on Monday night, Tracy Kimberlin, the President/CEO of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, discussed the current state of hotel rates and inflation.

Council member Richard Ollis brought up another concern.

“I was walking through the U-Plaza (hotel) the other day, and there were 55-gallon drums catching rainwater coming off the rooftop,” Ollis said. “So my question is, what is your strategy booking events there, and is it a viable convention facility?”

“It’s a major problem,” Kimberlin answered with a sigh. “Our biggest and what-used-to-be our best convention hotel is in sad shape right now. We have had several major problems with convention groups there ranging from leaky roofs like you mentioned to no hot water and no air conditioning.”

That may surprise a lot of area residents who have always known University Plaza as the “fancy” hotel built by John Q. Hammons located near downtown and the Missouri State campus.

“When the property opened back in the 1980s, it was at that point the premier convention hotel in town,” Kimberlin reiterated during an interview on Tuesday.

Springfield’s convention business centerpiece included the hotel with meeting rooms, a convention center for banquets next door, and an Expo Center for exhibits built by the city across the street. But after John Q’s death in 2013, his hotel business filed for bankruptcy and was eventually taken over by a Georgia-based company, Atrium Hospitality.

“Because of (Hammons) bankruptcy, there was no money invested in the hotel the last several years of his ownership, and Atrium has not invested anything either,” Kimberlin explained.

“The properties are falling apart and not being maintained,” Ollis said. “It’s just sad that after his death, we inherited a company that is just frankly not interested in Springfield or taking care of the property around this important area.”

The Expo Center, owned by the city and managed by Atrium, also has problems.

“It’s got roof leaks, quite a few of them,” Kimberlin said. “We had a show in there where they had to move exhibits because of the roof leaks.”

Kimberlin pointed out that U-Plaza can handle larger conventions, unlike other locations in Springfield, such as the Oasis and the DoubleTree.

“University Plaza has more meeting space than Oasis and DoubleTree combined,” Kimberlin said. “So it hurts a lot. Our ability to host big groups is non-existent without University Plaza.”

So how much could U-Plaza’s condition affect the city’s convention business?

“It already has affected the convention business in Springfield,” Kimberlin answered. “And until you get things back up to snuff, meeting planners are going to be very reluctant to book the property. Probably the most prominent one was the United Methodist Church. They had an annual convention here every June, but they’ve pulled out and moved to Branson because of issues at the Expo Center and hotel.”

“My daughter had a wedding reception, and we purposely steered people away from the University Plaza because of the substandard condition of the hotel,” Ollis added.

The city and Atrium have a lease agreement pertaining to the Expo Center. So who’s responsible for fixing the leaky roof at that city-owned but Atrium-managed facility?

“It’s the city’s responsibility for any capital improvements made to the facility,” Springfield’s Director of Public Information and Civic Engagement Cora Scott said. “As far as maintenance and keeping the infrastructure up and running, that falls under the obligation of Atrium.”

When contacted by KY3 for their response to the city’s concerns, Atrium released this statement on Tuesday afternoon:

“We’re exploring plans for capital improvements at the University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in downtown Springfield to potentially refresh and enhance previous renovations. We value our collaborative relationship with the Springfield community as we create a welcoming environment for all. We look forward to continuing our discussions with representatives from the City of Springfield and the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau.”

Michael Bloom, General Manager of University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in Springfield

Kimberlin said he is hopeful that Atrium will make some improvements but that the timeline for seeing them come to pass is up in the air.

“The problem they’re going to have is obtaining supplies and contractors just like everybody else,” he pointed out. “And the materials are going to be expensive if you can get them. So it could be a long time.”

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