The Wichita City Council has voted to delay action on a lease agreement for a new hotel to be constructed north of Eisenhower National Airport.
The project has been in discussion since 2017, when a development group made a request to build a new hotel at 1523 South Ridge Road. The DoubleTree by Hilton Wichita Airport was allowed to have first right of refusal, and it planned to develop its own new hotel, but it failed to sign a lease agreement last summer. The DoubleTree’s lease partner then notified the city that it was no longer interested in the project.
The developers who made the original request have formed a new company, Airport Hotel, LLC. Wichita’s assistant director of airports, Brad Christopher, said a decision has not been made on a nationally-recognized hotel flag, but the intent is to develop an upscale Select Service Hotel on the property with at least 100 guest rooms.
Council members had questions about details of the project and they voted unanimously to delay action until their May 4th meeting. The agreement would involve a 30-year lease on the property and the developers will provide $2 million in escrow to ensure timely construction of the hotel. If the agreement is approved, construction would begin in early 2022, with completion by June 1, 2023.
[ image – City of Wichita, Google Earth ]
