Plans for new Drury Inn & Suites put on hold

The sign foretelling the coming of a new Drury Inn & Suites at the southeast corner of Interstate 55 and Highway 74 in Cape Girardeau has been in the ground for over a year. According to Drury Inns Inc., that sign won't be going anywhere soon.

In October 2003, the St. Louis-based hotel chain unveiled plans for a new 180-room hotel to be built on the seven-acre tract. It was scheduled to be open by the middle part of 2005. Construction on the seven-story building was to begin in late summer or early fall of this year. However, the priority of other projects in Cape Girardeau and elsewhere, along with the slow development of the land surrounding that intersection, has led Drury Inns to postpone those plans indefinitely.

"The plan is to still do it," said Eric Strand, vice president of sales and marketing for Drury Hotels. "We will just be a little longer in getting to it."

Strand said that the construction of new a hotel in Montgomery, Ala., and two in Columbus, Ohio, have taken precedence over the proposed construction in Cape Girardeau. He said the company's primary goal in this city is the ongoing exterior renovation of the Drury Lodge near the William Street intersection with I-55. Along with Drury Lodge, the company owns Drury Suites and Pear Tree Inn in Cape Girardeau and Drury Inn & Suites in Fruitland.

Strand also mentioned that his company would like to see more outside development around the Highway 74/I-55 intersection before construction on the new hotel begins.

"It's going to happen," Strand said in regard to that other development. "It's just a matter of time."

As of now, Strand said there is no timetable for breaking ground at the new Cape Girardeau site. However, he said that the plans for the construction once it begins will be the same as those announced in October. Those included construction of a new-look stone, brick and stucco hotel complete with meeting space, on-site catering services, indoor/outdoor pool and whirlpool, exercise room and guest laundry facility. The development will also include space for three 6,000-square-foot restaurants.