KSHB 41 reporter Caroline Hogan covers development across the Kansas City area. Share your story idea with Caroline.
—
It's no secret businesses along Main Street are more than ready for KC Streetcar construction to be done, and it's getting there.
Crews are out paving the roads, one of the last steps, and no one is happier than the owners at Seville Plaza Hotel.
Doug Gamble is part of the hotel's ownership group. He said the hotel, which sits near 43rd and Main Street, wasn't able to bring in as many guests as other hotels did after the pandemic.
In 2021, Gamble said KC Water came to upgrade the water and sewer on Main Street, and that construction led into the streetcar construction.
RELATED | On Track with KC
Gamble and the ownership group acquired the hotel in 2018. Their annual revenue at that time was around $2,290,000. By 2023, they'd fallen to $1,709,000 and are still working to make up the losses.
"Guests see you've got cones and equipment out front, they think they're not gonna sleep," Gamble said. "And they make the decision quickly, 'I'm not staying there.' So, 48 months of that, it's been tough."
Gamble mentioned he has a great relationship with the KC Streetcar Authority. They were helpful in letting him know when his entrances would be blocked, among other things.
But Gamble sees a light in the distance, and, hopefully, a way to bring the annual revenue back to pre-pandemic levels.
"We've got groups that have reached out, some World Cup groups, some other things have reached out because of our proximity on the streetcar," Gamble said. "It's become a big deal."
In addition, the streetcar connects the hotel to events happening downtown. No longer do visitors seeing a concert at T-Mobile Center have to stay just in that area.
Tom Gerand, the executive director of the KC Streetcar Authority, said the streetcar is a connector to some of the best attractions Kansas City has to offer.
"We can make it really easy and intuitive, not just for residents and employees, but for all the people coming to Kansas City that may not have a full appreciation of what our city has to offer," Gerand said.
Gamble can sleep just as peacefully as his guests now, knowing it's only up from here.
"It hasn't come fast enough," Gerand said.