July 24, 2008 - The intersection of 21st and Greenwich is going to be home to another hotel. The first Staybridge Suites in Kansasshould open at the Village at Greenwich on the northeast corner byApril 1.

The hotel will be just north of the Community Bank building.

"We're going after kind of the upper-end corporate extended-stay traveler," says Dan Marak, the Shawnee-based development director and principal of St. Louis-based Midas Hospitality.

Omaha-based DKC Development Ventures and Keystone Investment Group are also investors.

TMH Hotels of Wichita is already building a 102-room Hampton Inn & Suites at Regency Lakes Shopping Center on the northwest corner.

"We feel like this is going to be... a nice, complementary offering," Marak says.

He says the Hampton Inn is more for visitors staying a night or two. Staybridge is geared toward guests averaging an eight-night stay.

Staybridge is part of the InterContinental Hotels Group, which includes Holiday Inn. Staybridge is comparable to Homewood Suites by Hilton and Residence Inn by Marriott.

Marak says Staybridge will offer complimentary appetizers and drinks Tuesday through Thursday and have things like a theater room for watching football.

Midas will break ground on the 88-room hotel next week.

"We looked really, really hard at Kellogg," Marak says of locating there. "We just felt 21st and Greenwich gave us a lot more flexibility."

He also looked along 13th.

"It appeared to me like 13th had already found most, if not all, of its users, and I thought 21st was probably going to be a little closer access to 96 highway and also a little less traffic at about 5 o'clock."

Marak says investors include people in Omaha, St. Louis and Little Rock.

"All of these outside investors were pleasantly surprised when they visited the area," Marak says.

He also really liked Village developer Steve Wheeler.

"We struck a rapport," Marak says.

Wheeler says the hotel is part of his larger plan.

"It moves our development in the direction that we've been planning all along," he says.

There are three retail tenants in the Village's first building, and Wheeler is two weeks away from finishing the second phase of that building.

He's talking with several potential tenants.

"Activity generates more activity," Wheeler says. "It helps create momentum on North Greenwich Road."

Got a hot tip or quirky story? Call Carrie Rengers at 316-268-6340 or e-mail [email protected].

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