19
Apr
2005
I would like to separate the casino-hotel issue into two separate components, regarding the casino anxiety about permanence and the hotel placement on the riverfront.
Regarding the casino: There really is little concern. The Isle of Capri has 94 years remaining on its lease with the city, and there is basically very little that can be done to alter this commitment. So the boat stays.
The hotel is another issue. A new contract would have to be drawn up between the Isle of Capri and the City of Davenport. Since I assume the new contract would be for the remaining 94 years, the city will have two choices. One would be to deny the construction of a riverfront hotel. By doing this, nothing has been done that cannot be changed. The boat remains where it is. If the Isle of Capri decides to leave, the license remains in Davenport where it is. Repeat: The license remains in Davenport where it is.
If the choice is to permit building, a 10-story hotel on the front yard of downtown Davenport will be the centerpiece of this city for the next five generations. I think such a drastic move merits extensive public input before a choice is made.
Demographics in Davenport, as all over the United States, are changing with the arrival of suburbanites into downtown loft apartments and condominiums. These urban dwellers want parks, riverfront access, and views of the river.
Not so fast, Davenport.
R. Josef Hoffmann, M.D.
Former Davenport Levee
Improvement Commissioner
CVB Supports Casino Hotel
The purpose of this letter is to convey the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau's (CVB's) support for the Isle of Capri's proposed Rhythm City Casino Hotel development in downtown Davenport.
The mission of the Quad Cities CVB is to increase visitor expenditures and overnight stays through strategic sales, marketing, and services to our customers, members, and communities. We promote and package the Quad Cities to attract and meet the needs not only of current but new meetings, conventions, groups, sporting events and competitions, special interest groups, and leisure travelers.
We are in support of destination attractions that promote new visitation to the Quad Cities or extend stays of our current customers. Additionally, the current strategic plan of the Quad Cities CVB includes two goals that support new developments in the Quad Cities: attract more visitors to the Quad Cities, and facilitate improvement of the Quad Cities as a destination.
For these reasons, we support the proposed Rhythm City Casino hotel development because the project matches our mission and supports our strategic plan goals.
Isle of Capri has been a member of the Quad Cities CVB since 2000, when they became part of the Quad Cities entertainment and hospitality scene. For several years, our organization has awarded it our Corporate Partnership award for its outstanding partnership to support and strengthen tourism in the Quad Cities area. Isle of Capri Bettendorf and Rhythm City Davenport rank as our area's top one and two visitor attractions in the region, with almost 3.3 million visitors annually.
We look forward to the favorable approval of this project so that tourism will continue to grow in the Quad Cities.
Joe Taylor, President and CEO
Quad Cities Convention &
Visitors Bureau
Correction
In the story "Diverse Show Explores the Human Condition" (see Issue 523, April 6-12, 2005), Corrine Smith's city of residence was incorrect. She lives in Davenport. The Reader regrets the error.
The hotel is another issue. A new contract would have to be drawn up between the Isle of Capri and the City of Davenport. Since I assume the new contract would be for the remaining 94 years, the city will have two choices. One would be to deny the construction of a riverfront hotel. By doing this, nothing has been done that cannot be changed. The boat remains where it is. If the Isle of Capri decides to leave, the license remains in Davenport where it is. Repeat: The license remains in Davenport where it is.
If the choice is to permit building, a 10-story hotel on the front yard of downtown Davenport will be the centerpiece of this city for the next five generations. I think such a drastic move merits extensive public input before a choice is made.
Demographics in Davenport, as all over the United States, are changing with the arrival of suburbanites into downtown loft apartments and condominiums. These urban dwellers want parks, riverfront access, and views of the river.
Not so fast, Davenport.
R. Josef Hoffmann, M.D.
Former Davenport Levee
Improvement Commissioner
CVB Supports Casino Hotel
The purpose of this letter is to convey the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau's (CVB's) support for the Isle of Capri's proposed Rhythm City Casino Hotel development in downtown Davenport.
The mission of the Quad Cities CVB is to increase visitor expenditures and overnight stays through strategic sales, marketing, and services to our customers, members, and communities. We promote and package the Quad Cities to attract and meet the needs not only of current but new meetings, conventions, groups, sporting events and competitions, special interest groups, and leisure travelers.
We are in support of destination attractions that promote new visitation to the Quad Cities or extend stays of our current customers. Additionally, the current strategic plan of the Quad Cities CVB includes two goals that support new developments in the Quad Cities: attract more visitors to the Quad Cities, and facilitate improvement of the Quad Cities as a destination.
For these reasons, we support the proposed Rhythm City Casino hotel development because the project matches our mission and supports our strategic plan goals.
Isle of Capri has been a member of the Quad Cities CVB since 2000, when they became part of the Quad Cities entertainment and hospitality scene. For several years, our organization has awarded it our Corporate Partnership award for its outstanding partnership to support and strengthen tourism in the Quad Cities area. Isle of Capri Bettendorf and Rhythm City Davenport rank as our area's top one and two visitor attractions in the region, with almost 3.3 million visitors annually.
We look forward to the favorable approval of this project so that tourism will continue to grow in the Quad Cities.
Joe Taylor, President and CEO
Quad Cities Convention &
Visitors Bureau
Correction
In the story "Diverse Show Explores the Human Condition" (see Issue 523, April 6-12, 2005), Corrine Smith's city of residence was incorrect. She lives in Davenport. The Reader regrets the error.
