The combined Capitol Plaza Hotel and Kansas Expocentre offers modular meeting space to accommodate groups ranging from 10 to 10,000 people. The hotel offers two 350 square-foot boardrooms, the 5,000 square-foot Emerald Ballroom and a complete business center featuring computers, printers, copying and faxing services, as well as on-site audio-visual equipment and technicians.

The Kansas Expocentre, connected to the hotel by an all-weather enclosed walkway, includes the newly remodeled 21,000 square-foot Maner Conference Center, 44,500 square-foot exhibition hall and 22,400 square-foot, 10,000-seat arena. Together, the hotel and convention center have attracted more than 85 meetings groups to Topeka through the end of 1998, including the Kansas Motor Carriers Association annual meeting, an event that will bring between 500 and 600 conventioneers to Topeka; and the Heartland Mobility Conference and its 800 attendees. The hotel has received more than 150 firm and tentative meetings for 1999.

"The Topeka Capitol Plaza Hotel and Kansas Expocentre offer an economic benefit that goes well beyond the city limits of our state capital," said Mayor Wagnon. "Together, they represent a first-class facility for hosting business and government leaders from all over the world."

"John Q. Hammons Hotels is very proud to be a citizen of the State of Kansas and to be a part of her continued prosperity," said Hammons. "The Topeka Capitol Plaza Hotel and Kansas Expocentre serve a longstanding need in this community and we look forward to their continued success."

Like all new John Q. Hammons Hotels, the Topeka Capitol Plaza Hotel is built in the company's signature atrium style with rooms that are 15 to 20 percent larger than those in the average hotel. The lobby features an exhibition-style full-service restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week; and a lounge. A complete health and fitness center featuring stationary bicycles, treadmills and rowing machines; indoor pool; outdoor sun deck; whirlpool and sauna are also available for hotel guests. Each hotel room includes a coffee maker, telephones with voice mail and computer dataports, remote-control televisions with Comcast On-Command Video, an ironing board and iron, and a hair dryer.

Publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange since 1994, John Q. Hammons Hotels, Inc. is the nation's leading independent builder, developer, owner and manager of upscale full-service hotels, resorts and suites including: Embassy Suites, Marriott, Radisson, Crowne Plaza, Hampton Inn Suites, Homewood Suites and Holiday Inn brands, as well as its own Plaza Hotel signature brand. The Springfield, Mo.-based company is the leading developer of new Embassy Suites hotels and is currently building the nation's first two Marriott Renaissance hotels. John Q. Hammons Hotels, Inc. owns or manages 45 hotels in 20 states and employs more than 8,000 people.