Drury hotel, conference center already seeing high reservations, representatives say

While a ribbon-cutting Thursday served to introduce the Drury Plaza Hotel Cape Girardeau Conference Center to the general public, the hotel technically has been open since before the recent total solar eclipse.

Drury officials considered it a “soft opening,” general manager David Bortner explained — as if immediate solid booking for a once-in-a-lifetime event can be called “soft.”

“Yes, we were pretty solid full for the eclipse,” he said. “As everyone else in the world was, I’m sure.”

But fortunately, he said, the hotel has continued to see high reservations since then.

Traffic from the recently completed Cape Girardeau SportsPlex has lived up to expectations as youth teams book accommodations at the new hotel, Bortner said.

“That’s a big win for the city,” he said. “We’ve already had some sports teams in here.”

The 168-room hotel boasts eight stories, with an open-air terrace that faces west at the top, which Bortner said will be available for rent for special functions or intimate business events. Also available for reservation is the 14,000-square-foot convention-center main room, which can seat up to 1,000 people as needed.

The hotel is staffed by 65 employees, Bortner said, including management.

That number does not include the employees who will staff the convention center’s new restaurant, the Southerner by Tractors, which is scheduled to open soon.

Among the dozens of individuals who toured the facility were Jennifer and Rhett Hendrickson, owners of Hendrickson Business Advisors.

Rhett Hendrickson praised the hotel’s interior design, citing the spacious ceilings in the rooms and photos that decorate the walls depicting local landmarks.

“It’s comfortable and modern at the same time, and that’s a difficult feeling to pull off, both through architecture and through decorations,” he said.

Jennifer Hendrickson said the new hotel seemed consistent with the standards and value she’s come to expect from the Drury brand.

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard [a tour guide list nightly rates],” she said. “I wouldn’t hesitate to put someone up here who was visiting Cape Girardeau.”

Drury Southwest executive director Rick Drury said the hotel exemplifies the company’s vision for the next several decades.

“Our commitment to the community is evident with this latest construction,” he said. “We’re looking at 50 years of commitment. ... It should also satisfy the needs and the demands the city has for conference space.”

That conference space is being booked already.

Three events are scheduled for next week, and at least four are booked for the following week, guest-services agent Eliza Phelps said Thursday, adding other events are planned as far out as December.

Drury also thanked the business and city leaders who turned out to tour the new hotel.

“Cape’s such a great community. Close-knit. Everybody knows each other,” he said. “[The new hotel] is really an upgrade for the coming adventures of Cape. We’re just grateful to be a part of that.”

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627

Pertinent address:

3351 Percy Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.