Endeavor Hotel Group details renovation plan for Hotel Topeka; council hears calls for transparency

Roy Arnold, CEO of Endeavor Hotel Group, outlined the company’s proposal to renovate and rebrand Hotel Topeka and described ongoing negotiations with city and county staff during a Topeka Development Corporation meeting.

The presentation centered on a previously approved letter of intent (LOI) whose key terms, Arnold said, include rebranding the property under a Wyndham flag, a 10-year property tax exemption, issuance of an industrial revenue bond (IRB) and a retail sales tax exemption for materials used in the hotel’s rehabilitation. Braxton Copeland, deputy city manager, introduced the item as “discussion of the sale of Hotel Topeka.”

The nut of the proposal, Arnold told the TDC, is that Hotel Topeka must be renovated in concert with upgrades to the adjoining convention or conference center to restore the property’s ability to attract large meetings. “Absent a similar effort at the convention center portion of this property, we won’t be successful,” Arnold said, adding that the company has been discussing cost allocation and design work with the county and intends to coordinate architects and planning for a unified campus.

Arnold described Endeavor’s experience operating regional conference hotels and said the firm views such properties as community assets that generate “force multiplier” economic benefits: when a conference brings business to one hotel, it typically sends additional room nights to other area properties and generates restaurant and retail spending. He said Endeavor currently operates seven hotels across six states, has a regional general manager for Topeka based locally and prefers to operate Wyndham-brand full-service hotels or related Wyndham flags.

Arnold presented examples from other projects (including a 298-room conference hotel his firm redeveloped with 45,000 square feet of event space) and emphasized investments in guest experience and technology, including advanced IT and cybersecurity capacity for digitally administered events. He said the company will recommend a specific Wyndham brand for the Topeka property after further work with Wyndham and the city and that his firm is not planning a short-term flip. “We are not in the business of buying and flipping hotels,” Arnold said. “We’re approaching this from a talent-management perspective…people are our most important asset.”

Stacy Williams, identified as an Endeavor associate and lifelong Topeka resident, said she sought an ethical buyer who would reinvest in the property. A member of the public, Henry McClure, urged greater transparency in dealmaking and suggested that, if the proposed deal faltered, the city should consider closing the hotel rather than investing further. “It seems disappointing…that this hasn’t been transparent and all done in the sunlight,” McClure said.

Council discussion included questions about branding (Arnold said the firm will evaluate Dolce versus a Wyndham full-service flag and make a cooperative recommendation to the city), the property-improvement plan required by a franchise brand, and the company’s prior local project work. Arnold said attorneys for both sides were exchanging limited comments on a purchase and sale agreement (PSA)/LOI and that he saw no substantive legal obstacles to finalizing terms once staff and the county align on conference-center scope and funding.

The TDC did not take a formal vote on the redevelopment terms during the presentation; the meeting record shows only a procedural approval of the July minutes earlier in the session. Deputy city manager Braxton Copeland and the company said further negotiations and county coordination will continue before any binding agreements are signed.

On a procedural matter earlier, a motion to approve the July minutes was moved by Councilman Dublin and seconded by Councilman Miller; minutes were approved by consensus with 10 in favor and no opposition.

The presentation concluded with the TDC chair thanking Arnold and staff; city and county staff were set to continue meetings on cost allocation and scope for the conference center and hotel rehabilitation.