New faces for familiar places

Most people would agree that the hotel known as Interstate Inn on Jefferson Street in Blue Springs has been a problem.

Hit Patel, owner of Blue Springs Hotels LLC, knows all about what made the three buildings known as Interstate Inn a place of infamy among locals. Yes, there were overnight stays at the three buildings, comprised of 197 rooms together, but the rooms rented for extended terms had the tendency to attract a different clientele.

“The place was not a place to stay in because of all the bad clientle and police activity here,” Patel said. Patel purchased the properties in mid-May from an owner who had been looking to sell for some time.

“Hopefully now we’ll be able to do something good for Blue Springs,” he added. “We’ll bring them much-needed taxes.”

The plan is this: convert the three existing buildings known as Interstate Inn into two separate hotels – a Night’s Inn and a La Quinta Inn and Suites. The third building, closest to Woods Chapel Road, will be demolished and made into a parking lot.

Patel said his company is investing approximately $2 million  in refurbishing costs for the La Quinta alone.

While there will be no building additions for either structure, a significant remodeling and overall improvement will take place. Carpet will be replaced, walls repainted, stucco installed, new bedding and furniture, and landscaping. At La Quinta, a tower and canopy will be constructed.

All told, 142 rooms will be available for use between the two buildings.

Patel said he hopes the Night’s Inn, not to be confused with the Knight’s Inn franchise, will be ready for occupancy by the end of the month. La Quinta may be ready for occupancy as soon as Dec. 1 – assuming the proper permits are acquired and plans are finished.

Patel owns and operates two other hotels: the Super 8 Motel in Blue Springs and the La Quinta Inn and Suites near Kansas City International Airport.

The closure and reopening of two hotels and the demolition of one building brings closure to a troubled area in the city. In one example last August, police arrived at the Interstate Inn and arrested two women who had kidnapped a pregnant Missouri teenager, placed her in the back of a hotel room and duct taped her neck. The two women were accused of planning to cut out the woman’s unborn child.

Upon their initial examination of the properties, Patel said he was amazed people could live in some of the rooms. He said many of the rooms throughout the three buildings had been closed. Some were heavily damaged. Others smelled bad.

“We were surprised that people were staying here,” he said. “The only other thing that struck me was why the city let it get this bad.”

Janet Jarvis, a police officer with the Blue Springs Police Department, met with Patel Wednesday and discussed his plans  at the site. While she was not specific, Jarvis said there have been some legal issues at the hotel over the years. She attributed the problems to lack of management training and the number of residents who lived there for long periods of time.

“When you have people living in those conditions, usually not having to relocate to other rooms and living without a lease, the problems start,” Jarvis said.

She added that Patel plans to significantly reduce the number of rooms available for extended stays and that he and police are currently in discussion about requiring criminal background checks for those long-term residents.