TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! KANSAS CITY CONVENTION HOTEL INSIDERS & POLITICOS CONSIDER GRAND OPENING DELAY AMID CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC!!!



Behind the scenes they're already talking about a KANSAS CITY CONVENTION HOTEL GRAND OPENING RESCHEDULE depending on how long this crisis lasts.

Let's not forget that critics within our blog community questioned the wisdom of putting so much taxpayer cash into a convention hotel with the future of work in America seems to be by way of telecommuting and virtual networking.

Here's confirmation of the planned opening so far . . .

A spokesperson for Loews Hotels confirmed to 41 Action News the new 23-story hotel at 16th and Wyandotte streets will open on April 2, 2020.

Accordingly . . .

COVID-19 PANDEMIC FALLOUT THREATENS TO PUSH BACK THE OPENING DATE OF THE KANSAS CITY CONVENTION HOTEL!!!

We're already getting some push back to the mere mention of this behind the scenes chatter but let's not forget that HOTEL CONSTRUCTION WAS DELAYED PREVIOUSLY DUE TO LEGAL WRANGLING WITH VOTERS . . . The consideration of a brief postponement wouldn't be a first time setback to the hotel.

The reality is that the impact to the industry will linger well beyond this crisis.

Let's not forget in all of this that the Downtown Convention Hotel is already losing BIG BUCKS . . .

"The project has incurred $7 million in cost overruns. Those figures were disclosed at a meeting of the Tax Increment Financing Commission of Kansas City. Officials claim, the increased costs are the responsibility of the hotel developers, not taxpayers."

Now, in the aftermath of Prez Trump's travel crackdown and event cancellations across the nation - A great many jobs and City Hall cash depends on a successful launch during these troubled times and it's unclear if the present date will allow as the kind of grand opening that so many locals wanted.

Accordingly, here's the big picture round-up on the topic of travel, airplane and enterianment troubles from Kansas City and beyond . . .


PREZ TRUMP EUROPEAN VACATION CRACKDOWN!!!

Trump announces travel ban from Europe amid growing fears of coronavirus

President Trump announced Wednesday that he will be suspending all travel from Europe to the U.S. for 30 days starting Friday at midnight in an effort to quell the spread of coronavirus. His address from the Oval Office comes hours after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic and the number of confirmed cases in the U.S.


Costly American Impact

Travel industry could lose $24 billion as coronavirus cripples tourism from outside US

The U.S. travel and tourism industry could lose at least $24 billion in foreign spending this year because of the rapidly spreading coronavirus, according to data produced by Tourism Economics and first seen by CNBC. That would be equivalent to about seven times more than the industry lost during the SARS outbreak in 2003, according to the data.


Slam Dunked

NBA suspends season due to coronavirus

The NBA announced that it has suspended its season until further notice after the completion of Wednesday night's games after a member of the Utah Jazz has preliminarily tested positive for the coronavirus.


COVID-19 Air Travel Tests

Tests indicate coronavirus can survive in the air

Federally funded tests conducted by scientists from several major institutions indicated that the novel form of coronavirus behind a worldwide outbreak can survive in the air for several hours.


Classic Fashion Hottie Takes Stylish Precautions

Naomi Campbell wears hazmat suit to airport amid coronavirus outbreak

(CNN) - Naomi Campbell has long been an advocate of staying germ-free while traveling. The supermodel even posted a video of her intense pre-flight ritual, which involved wiping down everything close to her airplane seat with Dettol anti-bacterial wipes, last year.


Hollywood Stars Test Positive

Tom Hanks says he and Rita Wilson have tested positive for coronavirus

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have tested positive for coronavirus, the actor said on Twitter. Hanks wrote that he and Wilson are in Australia. "We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too," he said.


Social Media Suffers

Major Travel Influencers Say They're Losing Income And Are Being Forced To Stay In One Place Due To Coronavirus Precautions

Popular travel influencers say the fears and spread of COVID-19 around the world has impacted their daily lives and bottom lines. One person reported that her income last month was cut in half. BuzzFeed News heard from a handful of influencers with followings that range from a few hundred thousand to millions, who say everything has been indefinitely put on hold.


Hopefully, we'll have more local news and all manner of info along with, possibly a few jokes, political talk and more for the morning update . . . STAY TUNED!!!

Comments

  1. Hope we are out of the woods by then. Having to close it because of coronavirus would be a disaster. This hotel needs to work for KC to make it's money back.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ^^^ Sorry bud, that train left the station a long time ago.

      Delete
    2. Basically the same thing happened to the P&L District. They spent millions building it up and hoping for the best but it opened just in time for the financial crisis.

      In the end it "recovered" but the city still has to pay millions every year to keep it going.

      Delete
  2. They could close it and nobody would notice. It's already not a very good plan. Will cost KC millions more.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Almost feel sorry for Burke on this one, he never should have put his own money into it. This was a disaster waiting to happen and not a good plan.

    ReplyDelete
  4. KC needs more people to fill potholes not more hotels.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unfortunately this thing is just getting started.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Another Midtown Mom3/11/20, 11:03 PM

    Taking precautions is the the right thing to do. Ultimately the president is 100% accurate and took a big step to keeping people safe. I think all voters should see that he is trying to protect Americans by limiting travel. It will be tough but I hope there will be more support of people in these businesses to make up for the loss. But it's always keeping people safe that is more important.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Problem is if we dont contain this - hospitals will be overflowing in 2 weeks. All beds full. People on stretchers in halls. Maturnity units closed till further notice -HAVE YOUR BABY AT HOME! ALL surgery would HALT! No hip replacements, no heart valves, no stents, no kidney transplants, and donor organs will be discarded and not used - heart attack or stroke victims would be treated in a delayed manor. If you cut yourself on a mower or break a bone - its going to be real hard to get proper treatment. Car wreck victims will not get very good treatment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ^^^ I see where you're coming from but that sounds like panic. That did not seem to happen in China and hasn't happened in Italy where the outbreaks have been much worse.

      People are going to lose money on this and a lot of it but I'm not sure if the disaster scenario you are predicting will happen. Nobody knows, the best thing we can do is be smart and try to prevent the spread as best as we can.

      Delete
  8. Its a fact hospitals will be swamped. italy is a very modern, elite country. They are swamped, people in halls and spare rooms, and no surgery is being done because they can't keep the virus away.

    We are going to need 2 million hospital beds in the USA. We only have 250,000 in the usa. So hallways is where you will go. HAVE YOUR BABIES AT HOME - maturnity ward is closed. Imagine having babies at home just like old days.

    The 3 types of endangered people : Smokers, elderly, overweight

    ReplyDelete
  9. Byron Funkhouser3/12/20, 3:32 AM

    Trump spoke to the nation.

    Trump lied.

    What a surprise.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Trump opened his mouth and the Dow futures immediately dropped 1200 points.

    Again.

    He really needs to stop "calming" the markets with his best words. His best plan going forward would be to STFU.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Holy shit, it's almost like there's a global pandemic underway or something.

      TDS, go back to bed.

      Delete
  11. Keeping this "Money Pit" closed would certainly help the existing Downtown Hotels, all of which are already struggling to achieve the 40% occupancy rate they need to keep their doors open.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's not a pandemic, it's a Dem-panic.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Better use would be to turn the hotel into a quarantine zone.

    ReplyDelete

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