John Q. Hammons Building Hotel in Hollister

(Press Release Below)

Mr. John Q. Hammons Announces New, European-style Hotel near Branson, Mo., Two Miles from Branson Regional Airport in Popular Branson Creek
Wednesday April 2, 12:00 pm ET

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. & BRANSON, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At a press conference held today in John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts' headquarters city of Springfield, Mo., hotel legend Mr. John Q. Hammons announced his plans to develop a new, European-style hotel at the burgeoning 7,500-acre Branson Creek, Branson, Mo. area's premier master planned community. The six-to-nine-story, 180-to-200-room/suite hotel will include meeting space and will be two miles from the new Branson Regional Airport, the first privately developed and operated commercial airport in the United States. Springfield, Mo.-based John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts is the nation's leading independent builder, developer, owner and manager of upscale, full-service hotels, resorts and suites (www.jqhhotels.com).

Source: John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts

·  View Multimedia Gallery

     
 
Conveniently located off of U.S. Highway 65 at 1001 Branson Creek Blvd., adjacent to the Branson Creek Golf Course, the hotel site is slated for construction in fall 2008, with an opening expected in summer 2010. The hotel name and brand will be identified at a later date. The hotel is expected to excel within the thriving travel destination of Branson, renowned for its extensive live entertainment, theme parks, golf and fishing/camping outdoor recreation, which attracted approximately 8.4 million visitors in 2007 (Branson Chamber of Commerce and CVB).

The hotel will join Mr. Hammons' 13 existing properties in Missouri as well as two previously announced for development in the state, including the luxurious, 12-story, 320-room/suite Chateau on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach and another property in Springfield. Among Mr. Hammons' Ozark Region portfolio is his prized gem, the 301-room/suite Chateau on The Lake Resort, Spa & Conference Center on Table Rock Lake in Branson.

"I've been planning for the Branson Creek hotel opportunity for quite sometime. I foresee impressive results with the new $155 million regional airport serving the United States with its additional routes, complemented by the amazing growth created by the completion of U.S. Highway 65," said Mr. Hammons, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts.

In addition, to the appealing transportation options, the hotel in Branson Creek will be adjacent to two championship golf courses. Amidst golf villas and luxury home sites, Branson Creek features the Tom Fazio designed Branson Creek Golf Course, ranked the number one public course in Missouri and 60th in the nation by Golf Digest. Branson Creek also hosts a second 18-hole championship course, John Daly's Murder Rock Golf and Country Club, which opened in 2007. A third course is slated to be developed.

"We've experienced overwhelming public response to the Branson Creek resort lifestyle development, and the addition of a quality, upscale hotel will continue to elevate the Branson Creek offering and deliver on our full-service resort strategy," said Bill Morrow, owner of Branson Creek Golf Course.

Branson Creek is also home to the new Branson Regional Airport, scheduled to open in May 2009. Just eight miles south of the center of Branson, the airport will have a 7,140-foot runway capable of commercial aircraft traffic from almost anywhere in the United States.

Jeff Bourk, airport executive director, Branson Airport, LLC, said, "With the opening of the airport next year, we're estimating a revenue generation of $150 million to the area over the short term. Having exceptional hotel accommodations, such as the kind Mr. Hammons' is known for, rounds out our offering for travelers to the area and builds on the anticipated success of the airport."

About The Communities at Branson Creek

The Communities at Branson Creek (www.branson-creek.com) is a 7,500-acre, premier master planned community located near Branson, Mo. Branson Creek offers many different neighborhoods and lifestyle options for residents, and this award-winning community is ranked by Where to Retire magazine as one of the top 100 master planned communities in the United States. The development is located south of Branson just off of U.S. Highway 65. Branson Creek is the area's largest residential development. In the early 1990s, Branson Development, LLC, a division of G.E.P., Inc., purchased the land that now forms the Branson Creek community. It is a place that combines the strong values and ethics of the Branson area with the natural beauty of the Ozark Region.

About Branson Airport, LLC

Branson Airport LLC is a Delaware-based limited liability company that has led the planning, engineering and financing efforts for the new commercial airport just south of the city of Branson, Mo., within the 7,500-acre Branson Creek golf/residential development. The construction represents the first new commercial service, non-replacement airport in the United States in 40 years as well as the country's first to be entirely financed with private capital.

About John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts

Springfield, Mo.-based John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts is the nation's leading independent builder, developer, owner and manager of upscale, full-service hotels, resorts and suites, including: Embassy Suites Hotels, Renaissance, Marriott, Radisson, Residence Inn, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Holiday Inn and Courtyard by Marriott brands. With 76 hotels strategically located near demand generators, such as state capitals, universities, airports, corporate headquarters or office parks in secondary and tertiary markets, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts' properties are dominant in their markets. Over the course of his impressive career in the hotel business, Mr. Hammons has developed 199 hotels. http://www.bransonedge.com
http://www.bransonmissouri.blogspot.com