Wichita has welcomed several new hotels and venues in recent months, and several more are planned. Hotel projects in the works are expected to add hundreds of rooms to the local market.
Currently, Wichita has more than 8,000 hotel rooms, and the top 18 hotels in Wichita (ranked by number of rooms) have more than 100 rooms. Hyatt Regency Wichita has the most rooms with 303, and the DoubleTree by Hilton Wichita Airport is right behind with 302 rooms.
“Wichita has so much to offer, from unique venues, great attractions entertainment options to more than 1,000 restaurants,” said Moji Rosson, VP of Sales for Visit Wichita. “At Visit Wichita, we’re striving each day to attract visitors to our city, and by adding more hotel and venue options, we feel confident about our ability to accommodate them.”
New hotels
Marriott International has opened the five-story Aloft Wichita Northeast. The hotel has 126 rooms, an outdoor splash pool, a grab and go food and beverage area, a bar featuring local music and three large meeting rooms, totaling 4,000 square feet and 70,000 total square feet. It was developed by Great Plains Ventures and is managed by Aimbridge Hospitality.
A 118-room La Quinta Del Sol opened this spring near the Wichita Sports Forum, which is located in an area of growth and development in Northeast Wichita.
A 120-room Hilton Garden Inn is on its way. The property will provide another hotel option in downtown Wichita in advance of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first- and second-round games that will be played at INTRUST Bank Arena.
Plus, many hotels have made recent upgrades to their facilities. Wichita Marriott opened a new steakhouse, Fireside Grille, last year. Springhill Suites by Marriott Wichita East at Plazzio completed a full renovation in November 2016. WoodSpring Suites Wichita North also renovated in 2016, changed their name to WoodSpring Suites and upgraded to free Wi-Fi. And some, like Hotel at Old Town, say they are making continuous upgrades, including new flooring, furniture and more.
New venues
The vintage industrial feel of Wichita’s Old Town District comes to life inside Distillery 244 Old Town, a modern, 7,000-square-foot event space and the second site of Wheat State Distillery, Wichita’s first legal distillery since prohibition. Complete with a copper-top bar and lots of exposed brick, the venue side of the business seats 580 while the distillery side seats another 120. Wheat State uses local grains to produce small-batch, premium spirits including vodka, gin, whiskey, bourbon and rum.
The Hudson will open this spring with a 7,000-square-foot reception space that can seat as many as 350 followed shortly by a 4,000-square-foot outdoor urban garden. The 1950s building is in Wichita’s Commerce Street Arts District and has an “industrial chic” or “Gatsby-esque” architectural style.
All Star Sports in west Wichita is known for its super-fast go karts and its lush, long-distance driving range. They recently opened an event center space, which is a separate building from the main arcade area and features indoor, private space with full kitchen amenities and restrooms. It has the versatile options of audio/visual for a meeting of 20 or full dinner service for 250 people. Open catering and alcohol are allowed. They host company picnics, corporate meetings, family reunions and everything in between. In addition, you can package the use of the event center with one of All Star Sports’ Eat and Play options or just rent the space.