Hotel boosts Lambert air cargo effort

By Tim Bryant - The Hilton Garden Inn, which had its grand opening Thursday, represents a key attraction in the effort to lure a cargo hub for China, area business leaders said.

Situated three miles east of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport at the North Park business center, the 136-room, $24-million hotel "is pretty integral to the whole development out here," said Bob O'Loughlin, chairman of the hotel's operator, Lodging Hospitality Management.

The hotel's owners include Paul McKee, an early backer of the air cargo effort, and Clayco Inc. Chairman Bob Clark.

The airport has the runway capacity and developable nearby land to accommodate air freight to and from China, Clark said.

"We're runway ready. We're land ready. We're hotel ready. We're ready to go."

McKee's son, Chris McKee, president of the family's McEagle Properties, said a special commission of area leaders will travel to China early next month to discuss the proposed Lambert  hub with Chinese airline officials. He said the proposal "has a lot of traction in China."

Efforts are under way to raise money to build a $20 million to $30 million "China mart" near the hotel at North Park, McKee said. The facility would contain showrooms and numerous small offices that companies doing business with China would use to display products and discuss deals.

Work on the project could begin next year if developers can get funding from economic-development grants and other sources, including the government's stimulus package, McKee said.

O'Loughlin said the Hilton boosts the cargo hub proposal but would have been built regardless. Open a month, the hotel draws much of its business from nearby institutions including Express Scripts, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Vatterott College. The hotel's occupancy rate, currently about 50 percent, should rise to 70 percent by June, O'Loughlin said