MIDAMERICA HOTELS ANNOUNCES NEW HOTEL AND TWO RESTAURANTS

MidAmerica Hotels Corporation announced plans this week to construct a 78-room mini-suite hotel and two specialty restaurants on Cape Girardeau's west side.

All three will be located near the corner of Mount Auburn and Route K.

Construction of the $3 million-plus, three-story hotel will begin June 15, with a scheduled opening in February of 1995, said Dan Drury, president of MidAamerica.

Work on the restaurants will start in mid-summer, with March 1995 openings targeted.

The hotel will look very similar to a prototype Holiday Inn Express that MidAmerica is constructing in Paducah, Ky. That hotel will open in July.

Drury said the affiliation of Cape Girardeau hotel has not yet been chosen, but said it would more than likely be a "national name."

The company is also negotiating with several national franchises for the restaurants. A decision will probably be announced in 30-60 days, he said.

Drury said growth near the I-55, Route K intersection poses some traffic concerns.

"We need another traffic light out here in the worst way," he said Friday. He said there have been a number of accidents near the complex in recent weeks.

"We've been talking to the state about an additional traffic light, but things are moving slow," Drury said.

With the addition of the new motel, MidAmerica will have 397 rooms in Cape Girardeau.

"The trend in the industry is to build hotels that offer more of the conveniences of home," said Drury.

The mini-suite hotel rooms will offer microwaves, refrigerators, satellite/cable TV, three phones with data ports and a couch with a fold out bed. Many of the rooms will also offer double size whirlpool baths.

The hotel will also provide an indoor heated pool, whirlpool and exercise area, outdoor sundeck and sports courts, fax service, non-smoking rooms, meeting facilities, public laundry and complimentary breakfast bar.

The new construction represents continued expansion of the "Park West Hospitality Center" at the southeast corner of I-55 and Route K, said Drury. The center currently contains Holiday Inn, Victorian Inn, Cracker Barrel, Red Lobster, the Convention Center, and Universal Physique Fitness and Racquet Center.

The company is also developing this hospitality concept in Paducah and south St. Louis County.

In addition, MidAmerica has also been doing extensive grading and road improvements near the intersection of I-55 and Route 61, at the Cape Girardeau-Jackson interchange. Work included a new entrance and site improvement to the Missouri Veteran's Home.

Drury said the corporation is progressing on plans for a major development at the intersection, which includes residential, retail, offices and commercial construction. The total project encompasses more than 100 acres.

"Things are happening at Center junction, but it's still too premature to make any announcements," he said.

Drury said the company's new Red Lobster has been well received in town. Years ago, he said, the franchise wouldn't have even considered a town the size of Cape Girardeau.

"The whole industry has changed," he said. "There's so much competition in big cities, that Red Lobster has closed a lot of its restaurants in larger places. More and more of these chains are considering smaller markets viable."

MidAmerica Hotels Corporation, locally owned and operated, employs more than 1,100, with an annual payroll in excess of $8 million. The company general limits its real estate interests and hotel and restaurant operations to a 150-mile radium of Cape Girardeau and Jackson. That allows the company to maintain a "hands on" style of management, said Drury.

Current operations include Holiday Inns in Cape Girardeau and St. Louis South I-55, Victorian Inn in Cape Girardeau, 18 Burger Kings, office buildings in Cape Girardeau and Auburn Outdoor Advertising Company.