Amenities make Holiday Inn a destination hotel

by Vicki K. Brown

January 26,2008

The Holiday Inn Executive Center bills itself as Columbia's only "full-service" hotel. That designation and a recent $3 million renovation, executive vice president Ed Baker says, can keep the hotel and its Expo Center viable in the face of a flat industry.

Amenities that draw guests include an on-site massage therapist, a hair salon, three restaurants, two bars and a 24-hour fitness center. For about 20 years, the hotel also offered a night club, Spanky's, "but it became a thing of the past," Baker said.

In February 2006, the hotel replaced Spanky's with the Sports Zone, a sports bar that "has helped us a lot," Baker said.

The recent renovation updated the hotel's guest rooms with new furniture. Plasma televisions were placed in two-thirds of guest rooms, bathrooms were renovated, and new carpet was installed in all commercial areas.

Such amenities have drawn celebrity guests to the hotel—particularly politicians who come to town. Former President George H.W. Bush even had his hair cut in the hotel's salon. Elizabeth Dole, Dick Chaney and Ross Perot have been among political notables. Hollywood celebrities have included Whitney Houston and Brooke Shields.

A focus on University of Missouri alumni and parents of current MU students also has been a key to the hotel's popularity, Baker said. He instigated tailgate parties and Tiger-related amenities in rooms from the beginning of his tenure. Holiday Inn sponsors "Tiger Talk" and other sports radio programs.

The Holiday Inn Executive Center has seen growth since Executive Hotel Management purchased the facility, formerly a 123-room Hilton Inn, in 1985, the year Baker joined the firm. The management firm added 100 rooms at that time and another 100 rooms in 1989. It constructed the 20,000-square-foot Expo Center in 1992.

The hotel and Expo Center have hosted several major events over the years, such as the Show-Me State Games, state Democratic Party meetings, Future Farmers of America state meetings and various University of Missouri events.

Baker tags the Outdoor Writers Association as the facility's most prestigious affair, attracting participants from across the country.

Holiday Inn partners with the community and not-for-profit organizations as well. It hosts the American Heart Association's Heart Ball and the King's Daughters Holiday Festival, among other events. Baker noted that the hotel has contributed more than $1 million to area organizations since 1985.

"We try to do things in partnership with the community. It comes down to relationships," Baker said. He and wife, Kathy, have served on area nonprofit groups' boards of directors.

Several staffers also actively participate in area organizations. "They are part of the community, and that's what we're most proud of," Baker said.

With money enough to keep pace with guests' tastes, the executive believes his hotel will remain in business despite what he describes as "the worst economic downturn" he has seen in Columbia. "We will survive because we have deep enough pockets and we are established," he said.

But he criticized plans for construction of a hotel and convention center downtown, which would compete with his hotel for large events. The hotel/motel occupancy rate in Columbia has dropped in the last five years and now stands at about 50 to 60 percent, he said. "Adding more hotel rooms is not going to help."

In 2006, MU, Stephens College and the city began collaborating to identify possible development opportunities to revitalize the downtown area. The report from the hired consultant, Sasaki Associates, recommended the construction of a privately developed hotel/convention center as one of a half-dozen "catalyst" projects.

Baker said he believes that many cities have bought into "the big lie" that a convention center will provide economic benefits. While that may have been true in the past, now "a glut" has lessened the chance of a substantial impact.

"Twenty-five years ago, convention centers were attractive, but now they're everywhere and no one is making money," he said.

The executive argued that the city should put money into improving its airline service and attracting new businesses instead of building more hotels. "If I were thinking of holding a meeting here, I would have to ask myself: ‘Why come to Columbia when I can go to New Orleans or St. Louis more cheaply?'" he said.

"They must fix the airport problem," he said. "They need to invest in subsidizing the airport, and then they can go after regional business."

Popularity: unranked [?]