MIDDLE MARKET HIGHLIGHT, JUNE 2008

Branson

Kevin Jeselnik

Currently, John Q. Hammons is heavily investing in its home base, with two diverse projects underway in Branson, a major tourist draw approximately 2 hours south of Lake of the Ozarks. The Library Lounge, a popular Branson hot spot located within The Chateau on the Lake Resort at Table Rock Lake, is undergoing a $600,000 renovation. The bar regularly draws between 200 and 300 patrons nightly, and the interior has been significantly redesigned to better accommodate its guests.

Also in Branson, the company is developing another European-style resort approximately 2 miles from the Branson Regional Airport in 7,500-acre Branson Creek community. The hotel may total six to nine stories, with 180 to 200 rooms and suites. Its location near the $155 million Branson Regional Airport, the first privately developed and operated commercial airport in the country, is ideal for its efforts to attract upscale guests and the Branson tourism market. The hotel name and brand has not yet been announced.

Branson is a growing tourist draw, with its lakefronts, myriad golf courses and expansive resorts. Kuhlow is confident that Lake of the Ozarks will be able to complement Branson, as well as benefit from its growth.

“Branson’s tourism is up to around 10 million visitors per year, and the tourists that go to Branson and those that come to the Lake of the Ozarks do not overlap,” he explains. “We see an opportunity to supplement our tourism by providing additional attractions or venues to a portion of the Branson tourism base, in order for them to extend their stay in Missouri.”

The long-range plan to build up the commercial offerings in the Lake of the Ozarks is coming to fruition, and will gain momentum over the next few years as more projects break ground and the second home market grows. According to Kuhlow, one of the biggest challenges has been spreading the area’s demographic information, as none of the cities are quite big enough to make the micro-politan designation. The area is awash with the type of consumers retailers strive to reach, especially with the tourism seasons are peaking May through October. Once the first retailers enter the market, Kuhlow expects their success will generate increased interest from the national players not yet in the market. With the groundwork and physical infrastructure being installed now, the area is primed to accommodate significant growth.

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