Drury Inns to build new hotel, restaurant in Miner

MINER, Mo. -- Drury Inns Inc. has finalized its purchase of the Raudmont Inn in Scott County, with plans to raze it and build a new 120-room Drury Inn & Suites on the property.

The deal closed Aug. 25 and will also include a new restaurant, said Joe Pereles, vice president of development at Drury Inns. A Drury Inns affiliate, Drury Development Corp., intends to build a Steak 'n Shake on the ground the Charles L. Drury family owns adjacent to the site, Pereles said.

The deal may also facilitate a revitalization project of Miner's Convention Center. The company is in discussions with city officials to convey ground to the city of Miner for use in connection with a meeting hall/convention center/ city hall annex that it would like to build on the site, Pereles said.

A date for the demolition of the Raudmont Inn has not yet been set.

"We have some asbestos to remove from the property," Pereles said. "We hope to have demolition commencing at the end of September, and we would like to be in a position to start construction this year or the early part of next year."

Pereles noted it was the Drurys who originally built the Raudmont Inn as a Ramada Inn. Another party acquired the property after a reorganization by Drury Inns and renamed the hotel.

"It has come full circle from us building it to us buying it back to soon building something new there," he said. "It is a testament to our belief in the hospitality business in the Sikeston-Miner area and our view of a long-term relationship with the community. We've been around in that market for 40 years, we like it, and we want to bring something more upscale back to the area."