By Tony Madden
The “Best Host Inn Plaza Hotel” signage is falling off the building’s facade. Its tattered red curtains blow in the wind. The only signs of development are solar-powered security cameras affixed to the building. The property at 5701 Longview Rd in Kansas City is falling apart as of drivers on U.S. Highway 71 go by.
The hotel opened in 1974 as the Granada Inn South and has hosted several hotel and popular night life operations over the years. It’s been closed since 2021 when LDN LLC ceased hotel operations at the site, prompting frustration about blight and trespassers from area residents and city officials alike.
Nevertheless, Denver-based private equity firm ACN Capital and San Diego-based owner LDN LLC have partnered with Sonesta International Hotels to revitalize and reopen the property, ACN Capital owner Bill Rothman told the Telegraph.
Sonesta International Hotels is a hotel company based in Massachusetts, which operates Sonesta Essentials and Sonesta Select hotels, among other chains. The company currently operates the Sonesta Select Kansas City South at 500 E. 105th St.
The renovation team gathers Rothman at ACN Capital and Tam Nguyen at LDN LLC as well as two local firms: HJM Architects and engineer/general contractor Stephen Maslan. The hotel should reopen by spring 2027, Nguyen said.
The property currently has two active construction permits. The first was issued in April 2025 for interior non-structural demolition. The second was issued in March 2026 for temporary 200-amp electrical service to the building. Maslan previously told the Telegraph the team was waiting on him to finish an energy analysis of the property to submit applications for the remaining permits.
The energy analysis is complete and the firms will submit applications for permits this week, Rothman said.
However, Maslan said he is ”very upset” with the progress so far, which hasn’t been much. The energy analysis was repeatedly held up by break-ins and theft of electrical components and copper pipes, he said. Lights, fences and security cameras have not deterred thieves and trespassers.
“It’s gonna look nice when it’s done,” Maslan said. “But we got a lot of hurdles to jump here. If those guys that are stealing the wire aren’t caught and prosecuted, we’re gonna be putting stuff in four or five times.”
Rothman was more hopeful, admitting theft has been difficult but the group’s perseverance has shown they will not be deterred by trespassers.
Rothman added the hotel’s location in Hickman Mills, an area that has historically lacked city investment, was an attraction for him. He called it an opportunity to set a higher standard for a formerly popular establishment.
“Everybody who drives past it sees it,” Rothman said. “It has been, I would say, a source of not positive vibes.”