[il-talk] Abraham Lincoln owner to spend 3 million for upgrades this year

[mgrunwald at sbcglobal.net]

Hello,

The below was posted in Today's Springfield State journal-Register.  TThe 
President Lincoln is the hotel in which our Board Meeting will take place 
this August, and our State Convention will take place October 9-11.

Cordially,
Mary

By
TIM LANDIS (tim.landis at sj-r.com)
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Feb 27, 2010 @ 11:30 PM
The new owner of the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center 
expects
to spend $3 million on upgrades in the first year, starting with a lobby 
remodeling
project this spring.
Decatur developer Steve Horve, who was the highest bidder at $6.5 million at 
a state
auction in December, also said Friday room rates and the hotel name will 
remain the
same at least until upgrades are completed.
"Physically, it's a great structure," Horve said of the hotel at 701 E. 
Adams St.
Most of the upgrades in the first year will involve technology, including a 
new phone
system, new televisions and wireless Internet access. He also plans to 
switch to
magnetic key access for the hotel's 316 rooms.
"We're going to try and tie it in to the parking garage, so that when you 
enter and
leave it will interface with your access key. That's good for security, too" 
said
Horve.
Lobby and employee changes
Horve said he plans to add a fireplace and a gift shop as part of a lobby 
upgrade
expected to begin in about 60 days.
"It has a lot of potential, but we want to open that up a little bit," said 
Horve.
He said the lobby work will take about two months.
A consultant also has been hired to begin designing new room layouts for the 
first
eight floors of the 12-story hotel. In addition to new televisions, wireless 
Internet
and phone systems, new furnishings are planned.
"We going to replace all the furniture, the fixtures and the equipment; 
there'll
be new headboards, desks, drapes and carpeting. We're hoping to get that 
done in
the first year," said Horve.
All but about 10 of the 180 employees who worked at the hotel at the time of 
the
takeover have been retained, he said.
The Illinois treasurer's office closed on the sale of the property earlier 
this month.
The state took over in early 2008, at which point the former owners owed 
more than
$30 million in principal and interest on the a state-backed loan used to 
open the
hotel in 1985.
The treasurer's office estimates $13 million was recovered through sale of 
the property,
a surety bond and profits generated while it was operated by the state.
A new brand?
Horve said he plans to upgrade the hotel to Hilton standards, but he has not 
yet
decided whether to seek a new franchise for the property. The property at 
one time
operated as a Ramada Renaissance.
In addition to the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel, Horve Hospitality 
operates
Homewood Suites by Hilton in Forsyth, the Hilton Garden Inn in Champaign, 
Homewood
Suites by Hilton in Champaign and a Hampton Inn in Dearborn, Mich.
The Hampton also is a Hilton property.
"I'm a Hilton guy," said Horve.
The President Lincoln is directly across Adams Street from the Hilton 
Springfield,
but Horve said other Hilton brands are available should he decide to go that 
route.
'I'm going to run it the way it is for a year and see how it does. With the 
legislature,
the (presidential) library and museum, and the hospitals, I'm not sure how 
much business
having a flag would bring in," said Horve.
Tim Landis can be reached at 788-1536