urbanSTL

The developer of Oasis at Lakeport — the $400 million entertainment complex and Marriott hotel/conference center set to open Phase 1 in 2025 — says he’s planning another major hotel on the Lake, and he’s got an infamous spot under contract.
Jeff Tegethoff shared with LakeExpo that his investment team has a contract to purchase a 33-acre spot off Passover Road: it’s the spot where once upon a time, famed hotel developer John Q. Hammons intended to build a 15-story, 320-room luxury hotel.
That was nearly 20 years ago; Hammons’ dream fell victim to a lawsuit, his ailing health, and the economic downturn. Tegethoff says his team's plans are still very preliminary, but he anticipates a flagged (major brand) hotel with somewhere between 220 – 250 rooms. The catalyst, he says, is the massive interest generated by the development of Oasis at Lakeport: Tegethoff confirmed dozens of conferences have already been booked at the hotel, though it won’t be open until 2026.
Many of the organizations interested in holding conventions at the Lake want to do so at a flagged hotel, he said, but the Marriott planned for the Oasis will not have enough rooms to accommodate some groups. That hotel is slated to have 402 rooms, with a 30,000-square-foot conference space. “It’s amazing how many conference groups we’re getting reaching out to us that are too big for our current place,” Tegethoff confided.
So, his group made a move. The 33-acre, undeveloped waterfront site is ideal, as it sits only about a mile from the Oasis project.