LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. -- With a grand opening date in early 2015, The Lodge at Old Kinderhook construction has progressed significantly since breaking ground late last year.
With Thomas Construction at the helm of building the development, workers and additional contractors have formed its foundation, are currently setting in both its indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and are outlining the space for the 80-by-100 foot outdoor ice skating rink. This new recreational feature will reside adjacent to the new 80,000-square foot hotel, conference center and entertainment complex at the Camdenton-based golf resort and community.
Jeff Carroll, Old Kinderhook director of business development, said there were about 45 days of unexpected downtime this winter, pushing the initial late 2014 open date back to early 2015. However, construction is now moving along, with under-roof construction to begin by July 1.
"Once we have framed up (the facility), then the slow parts start with finishing up on the inside," Carroll said.
The Lodge at Old Kinderhook, which sits adjacent to the golf shop and gives views of Old Kinderhook's Tom Weiskopf signature golf course, will have 84 guest rooms, a lobby, lounge and bar, a 250-person conference center, indoor and outdoor pools, seasonal ice skating rink and expanded recreation, fitness, spa and marina facilities, according to Old Kinderhook executive director Bob Renken.
As construction continues through this year, a variety of typical hotel industry jobs will also become available. Carroll said as part of the multi-million dollar project, The Lodge of Old Kinderhook will create between 30 to 40 jobs for a variety of hotel industry positions such as guest services, restaurant staff, front desk personnel and management opportunities.
"Applications for management will be available starting in the fall, and open applications (for other positions) will start the first part of December," he said.
The hotel's conference center also opens up the opportunity to host an assortment of larger events for residents and visitors on site.
"Gayla Welsh, our group sales director, is in the process of booking the first big group for the hotel," he said. "(This conference center) creates a wide open market for types of events including business conferences, larger weddings, group outings, etc."
The conference center will add a larger venue in addition to the Trophy Room, which is popular for weddings and gatherings and holds about 170 people in the entire building. Carroll said the new hotel facility and its conference center also opens the doors to host larger local functions such as annual dinners and popular events for Lake Area organizations.
Carroll said there is not a specific target date for opening the outdoor ice skating rink, which is open to the public like its golf course, restaurants and many other amenities; however, he said management would like to see it open as soon as possible and potentially before the hotel is complete. In addition, the ice skating rink's design will allow for more than just recreational skating, including pond hockey.
"We have been working with a company out of Kansas City that as an outdoor skating rink is designed like the one we are building," he said. "They have pond hockey up there, and it is packed ... We are introducing ice skating to the Lake Area with this facility, so it is the perfect route to take with delivering pond hockey."
As part of the new hotel complex phase, Old Kinderhook management is expanding its marine services, currently working with a local company to offer boat rentals, and adding more docks and Lake swimming opportunities.
"One thing we don't offer is boat rental. The conventions that come into town want access to the Lake, so the boat rental will assist with offering that amenity," he said. "We currently have about 10 to 12 boat slips available, and at this point they are for sale. However, we are talking about the addition of new docks and in talks with Ameren (Missouri) about that ... We do have a master plan of what the dock area could look like. Once we get approval from Ameren and move forward with those plans, in the future we can talk about including gas docks, marine facilities and other options in the future.
"We also are looking to include a swim dock and water toy features for kids and families."
Carroll said Old Kinderhook management currently has a slew of monthly events planned for its resort, as well as weekly events and nightly specials available for its current restaurants, golf course and overall facility. Management also plans to continue its Kinder Care program that gives 10 percent of the restaurants' sales on every Monday back to a selected charity for that month.
So far, Carroll said the community feedback regarding The Lodge at Old Kinderhook has been positive and encouraging for economic growth in the Lake Area.
"We have needed a new hotel/convention facility at the Lake for a long time; bringing that to the Lake Area is well received by everybody," he said. "Everyone is excited in the lodging industry that we have a new product to sell. Even the competitors, for the most part, like that there's more convention space and more event space; the more competition out there brings more business to everyone.
"(With the new hotel development) we can draw as much attention to the Lake Area as possible and generate more business for Camdenton and the entire Lake of the Ozarks."